The Journey
by Falcon88
Summary: Jack and his sister are runaway orphans, living their lives in uncertainty, never knowing what the future will bring. A chance encounter one night sends them on an incredible and magical journey with new friends that will lead them to their destinies and forever change their lives.
1. The Journey Begins

A/N: Hey everyone! This here is my Jelsa Christmas story. Now, I know I promised to update Gathering Darkness, but I have been just completely overwhelmed with class and homework, but it will come soon. Fortunately for this story, I had begun work on it back in January. Now, this story has a much more concentrated plot than my other stories, so this is not going to be a very long story. By my count, there are about nine weeks left until Christmas, so I believe this story will perhaps run ten or so chapters. This story is a Fantasy/Family/Friendship story so if you're looking for villains and fighting, sorry. There are no villains in this story. In fact, you might even say Pitch and Hans don't exist in this story's universe. All challenges will come from within the characters themselves and their environment. Hope everyone enjoys.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Polar Express  
>Chapter 1: The Journey Begins<p>

"Come along Carolyn."

"I'm coming!" Said the young brunette girl as she skipped through the thick snow to keep up with her older brother. Unfortunately the snow was bogging her down and she eventually tripped, falling forward into the snow. Her brother was beside her in a moment offering her his hand which she took and allowed him to pull him up.

"You okay?" Asked the white haired teen. The girl patted herself off of snow from her several-sizes-too-big jacket and nodded, grinning at him.

"I'm fine, thanks Jack."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"M-mm." Said the girl, shaking her head. Jack looked around. All the houses on the street were dark, though lights from Christmas trees could be seen through the windows of many. Some where in the distance a clock chimed, eleven in the evening. Jack continued scanning the darkness. The cold didn't bother him but Carolyn was a different matter. He knew the biting cold could harm her and he needed to find her some shelter for the night. At long last he spotted something promising. A large, dark rectangular shape was visible in the distance. A bus stop maybe.

"Come on." He said pulling Carolyn along and helping her through the snow.

When they at last arrived, the realized it was a trains stop and not a bus stop They sat down on a snow covered bench, Carolyn beside the wall, and Jack on her right.

"You okay?" Jack asked, adjusting the coat he'd given her to make sure it was securely fastened.

"Uh-huh." Carolyn said, leaning her head on Jack's shoulder to rest. Her older brother smiled and put a comforting arm around her. Jack himself wore only a brown cloak over a blue hoodie and brown pants. He was barefoot, his shoes and socks forgotten at the orphanage they had fled from. Normally at this time of the year they would be gathered with the other kids around the table by a warm fire at the orphanage, eating a Christmas dinner before going to bed to await Christmas the following morning. That was, until Jack found that he and his sister would be separated. Horrified by what he'd learned, he'd quickly told her of this turn in events, and together they fled from the orphanage, striking out on their own to find a place to live.

"Do you think Santa would be able to find us?" Carolyn suddenly asked. Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He had raised her and taken care of her practically their whole lives, ever since they'd ended up in the orphanage. It was always the two of them together. Jack had had to grow up fast and between caring for his sister and being responsible for both of them, he found no time for such childish things as Santa Claus

"Come on Carolyn, how many times do I have to tell you? There's no such thing as Santa Claus." Jack didn't tell her this to make her feel bad. The truth of the matter was, Santa Claus was a fictional children's fairytale. Out here in the real world, with real dangers, he needed to giver her something tangible to believe in. His sister needed _real_ hope, not something fake like Santa Claus.  
>"Now why would you say something like that?" Jack and Carolyn started, whipping around to look at Jack's others ide. Beside them was a man in a dark blue coat. He had dark brown hair, darker than Carolyn's and warm light brown eyes. Despite the man's harmless appearance, Jack held his sister closer. He guessed the man must be in his late fifties. The man smiled politely at the two youths.<p>

"What are you two kids doing out in this weather on Christmas Eve?" He asked.

"We're gonna find our destiny out there." Said Jack.

"You're gonna find pneumonia out in this cold."

"The cold never bother me."

"But can the same be said for your sister?"

"I'm okay Jack." Turning to look at the man, Carolyn added, "We're fleeing from the orphanage. They were planning on sending one of us to another orphanage and we would've been separated and lose each other."

"Oh?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jack asked suspiciously and a bit accusingly.

"Waiting for a train." The man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And what train would that be? The Midnight Express?" Asked Jack. The man chuckled.

"Something like that." Jack frowned. The man did not look like he was traveling. As if reading his thoughts, the man added, "I enjoy watching it come and go every Christmas Eve."

"Every Christmas?" Jack asked.

"For the last fifty or so years."  
>Before Jack could say much more, a train whistle sounded in the distance.<p>

"Ah there she comes now." Said the man. As the trio watched, a beam of light appeared through the darkness. As it came closer, they were able to make out a large black train engine, smoke billowing from the short stack at the front of the engine, a golden bell place above the train's single headlight, snow flying away as the train moved down its tracks. The train pulled into the small station and screeched to a halt with a hiss of steam. Jack blinked. It was a steam train. He had no idea any those still ran except for recreational use. He couldn't read the name of the train as it was obscured by steam and melted snow rising from the wheels. Looking back, he saw that the train's many cars seemed to stretch on to eternity, disappearing in the night, only their lights visible. A man in a blue coat and hat descend the steps from one of the cars, a conductor.

"All aboard." The Conductor called into the cold dark night.

"Your ride?" Asked Jack motion towards the train.

"No. I already took this journey. It is not mine to take again." With that, the mysterious man reached into a pocket and pulled out a beautiful silver bell. Jack watched as the man gave it a shake, a smile on his face as he did. Jack could only stare. There was no sound from the bell, yet the man was smiling. Was he insane?

"I think your bell's broken mister." Said Jack. "I don't hear anything."

"I hear it Jack! Don't you hear it?! It sounds so beautiful." Said Carolyn. Jack's head snapped to Carolyn. How what that possible?! Was the cold affecting her mind?!

"There's no sound."

"Yes there is."

"I see…" Said the man, thoughtfully.

"What do you see?" Jack asked, still too concerned about his sister to be annoyed at the man.

"Everything. Well, everything that needs to be seen.

"What?" Asked Jack.

"The journey of a lifetime begins with a decision."

"And what decision is that?"

"Last call! All aboard!" The Conductor called again. The man on the bench turned and looked Jack straight in the eyes.

"If you want to find your destiny, I suggest you hop on that train."  
>Jack didn't know what compelled him to listen to the man. Maybe it was his want to get away from this seemingly crazy man. Maybe it was the hope that the train would be warm enough for Carolyn. Whatever the reason, Jack took his sister's hand and pulled her along behind him. As they approached the train, they could make out the fine ironworks and rivets on the train's engine.<p>

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, we're on a very tight schedule." Said the Conductor, a mustachioed man in glasses, as he ushered them in. Jack and Carolyn quickly scurried inside and Jack led her through several cars, ending on the second to last one. He would have taken the empty last car, but the lights were off and he guess it would be cold compared to the cars currently in use. Upon reaching the second to last car, Carolyn began to pull Jack along excitedly. Jack looked around, there were about two dozen or so kids in this car and most seemed younger than he.

"Ah! The warmth is so good!" Said Carolyn as she took a seat by a window, Jack sitting down beside her. As soon as they were in their seats, the train began to move.

"Eh, it's alright." He joked.

"Where do you think we're going?" Carolyn asked. Jack shrugged.

"Who knows? I just hope they serve food _before_we have to hop off."_**  
><strong>_  
>"Wait, what?! Why would we hop off?!"<p>

"Come on, Carolyn. We didn't pay. We have no tickets. We're stowaways. When they find out, they'll toss us out. I intend to leave before that happens." Carolyn whimpered and fidgeted in her seat.

"I wouldn't worry about them throwing kids off. They'll probably stop the train at a station and escort you off." Jack and Carolyn turned to look behind them at the speaker a gangly brown haired, green eyed teen about Jack's age.

"My name's Hiccup Haddock." Said the boy.

"What's your real name?" Jack asked.

"That is my real name."

"Oh. Sorry your parents hate you."

"Jack!" Scolded Carolyn. Hiccup just laughed.

"I'm used to that reaction." He said. "What's your, name? Jack what that is?"

"Jack Frost."

"No, seriously."

"That is _my_ real name; Jack Overland Frost."

"Oh!" Said Hiccup. "That's cools." Jack frowned at his slipup. "Erm, no pun intended."

"I'm Carolyn Frost!" Carolyn chimed in happily.

"Nice to meet you two." Said Hiccup.

"So, where are we headed?" Asked Jack.

"Don't know." Hiccup admitted. "Rumor about the train is the North Pole."

"Wow!" Said Carolyn gleefully. Jack however was much more skeptical.

"The North Pole?! That's ridiculous; you can't train to the North Pole." Hiccup just shrugged.

"That's what they're saying."

"Aye, she can make the Pole if the seas are frozen." The three kids turned to see that the speaker was a young girl in a green dress with long curly red hair. "Name's Merida. Merida Dunbroch."

"Hi Merida! I'm Carolyn Frost and this is my big brother Jack and that's Hiccup Haddock."

"You're from Scotland?" Said Jack.

"Aye lad, that I am."

"How can a train cross the seas, though?" Asked Jack. Even frozen, there are no tracks there."

"It doesn't matter if this is a magical train!" Carolyn added enthusiastically.

"Carolyn…"  
>"She's right." Chimed in another girl, this one with long golden-blonde hair that reached down to the back of her knees. She had emerald green eyes and a bubbly face.<p>

"What do you mean?" Asked Jack.

"This is the Polar Express after all."

* * *

><p>AN2: And that wraps up the first chapter. I put it out today as it is the 10th anniversary of the premier of The Polar Express (it opened for a wide release later on November 10). Before I forget to mention, this story is set in modern times and the man that Jack and Carolyn met at the station was the grown Hero Boy from the movie. Jack and Elsa DO have powers, but their powers won't play a critical role in this story. Finally, this story has Jelsa and Merricup and there will be mentions of Flynnunzel and Kristanna, but unfortunately, Flynn will not appear in this story, and Kristoff will only show up at the end. I was just able to work them in properly and adding them would have been extraneous and just for the sake of having their characters.


	2. Tickets and Hot Chocolate

A/N: Hey all! Here's chapter 2. Since this chapter was late, there will be two chapters this week to compensate for it. Oh, I also fixed the title of the story in the chapter itself. The Polar Express as a title was just a placeholder before I used The Journey. The reason I changed it to The Journey is because 1, I didn't want to spoil the surprise that the train was the Polar Express (too late now) and 2, it's already the name of the movie.  
>Enjoy!<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey  
>Chapter 2: Tickets and Hot Chocolate<p>

"What do you mean?" Asked Jack.

"This is the Polar Express after all."

"What?"

"She's right." Said Merida.

"Hi everyone, I'm Rapunzel Corona." Said the blonde girl.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out!" Said Jack before anyone could continue. "Magical train? Polar Express? What are you guys, nuts?!"

"Jaa-aack!" Carolyn whined, feeling embarrassed by her older brother's skepticism.

"It's true. Or so they say." Said Hiccup.

"Dragon-boy's righ', ye know." Said Merida.

"Dragon-boy?" Jack was almost afraid to ask.

"Uh, the village I came from has, erm... dragons." Said Hiccup. Jack blinked.

"Oh great." He said. "We didn't board the Polar Express. We boarded the Nuthouse Express."

"I'm a Viking-in-training and we… fight dragons."

"Reeeally?" Asked Jack with mock interest, protectively pulling Carolyn closer to him. "And when was the last time you had a CAT Scan?"

"Wow! What village are you from?" Asked Carolyn.

"A tiny village called Berk." Hiccup replied. "We have tons of dragons of all species."

"Okay, okay, enough! There are no such things as dragons! There are no such things as magical trains! And you two," said Jack, pointing at Hiccup and Rapunzel, "have the strangest names in the universe."

"Oi! What about me?" Asked Merida.

"You're name is normal… ish." Jack replied. Merida seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded.

Before the group's conversation could continue any further, the Conductor walked into their car.  
>"Tickets everyone! Tickets!" He said. Carolyn looked at Jack, panickingly.<p>

"We don't have tickets! What do we do!" She asked. Jack glanced out the window. They were moving too fast to jump out.

"I… don't know." He reluctantly admitted. The sibling watched apprehensively as the Conductor went to each passenger, taking their tickets and rapidly punching several holes in each. In almost no time at all, the man was upon them, hovering over the siblings.

"Tickets please." Said the Conductor. Jack and Carolyn paled.

"Uhm…" The siblings said together.

"Try your pockets." Jack and Carolyn exchanged a glance. Though they knew their pockets were empty, the Conductor's stern tone motivated them to reach their hands in anyway. Jack froze, feeling something smooth in his fingers. Carolyn had much the same reaction. Slowly they drew their hands from their pockets, each clutching a gold ticket with a picture of the train on it. On the bottom of the picture was №0001225. Carolyn's face immediately lit up in excitement. Jack, however, was clearly befuddled.

"What?" He asked, staring at the ticket as if it were an alien artifact. "WHAT?!" The Conductor grabbed Carolyn's ticket and quickly punched it before handing it back and grabbing Jack's. The Conductor rapidly punched Jack's ticket, sending little circular pieces flying all over the place. He finished it, handing it back and moving on. Jack looked at his ticket to see that multiple holes had been punched into his ticket to spell a letter. "What." Jack stated flatly.

"I?" Asked Carolyn, holding up her ticket for Jack to see.

"I got an L." Said Jack. "Must be for 'loser'."

"Jack…"

"I got an F, which is my grades in everything Viking." Said Hiccup. "What about you Merida?"

"I got a C, whatever that means."

"What about you Rapunzel?" Asked Jack.

"I got an L too."

"Maybe it's sorting." Hiccup suggested. "Like for a line or something."

"Could be." Said Merida. After the Conductor had finished punching all the tickets, he strolled to the front of the car and picked up a PA microphone.

"Your attention, please. Are there any Polar Express passengers in need of refreshment?"

"Me! Me! Me!" Several kids cried waving their hands in the air.

"I thought so." He stepped aside and opened the sliding door to reveal eight tap-dancing waiters.

"Hot! Hot!" Began the waiters.

"Ooh, we got it!" Sang the Conductor.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Hey, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Say, we got it!"

"Hot chocolate!" The waiters sang as they spun some seats around and pulled off their white aprons and waved them down between seats, becoming covered small round tables.

"What?" Asked Jack as he watched the waiters' acrobatics while Carolyn clapped along to the song, a huge smile on her face. Behind them came two somersaulting chefs, a large bronze, chocolate machine between them on a cart.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Oh, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"So, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Yo, we got it!"

"Hot chocolate!" When the chefs reach the end of the car, they pushed the cart back down the carriage aisle then sat down down atop it and began tossing dishes and cups every which way as the waiters continued their complicated dance routine, catching the dishes and cups on a single round tray that each carried.

"It's the Cirque du Soleil train." Jack muttered.

"Here, we only got one rule:  
>Never ever let it cool!<br>Keep it cookin' in the pot,  
>Soon, ya got -!"<p>

"Hot chocolate!" Once more the door opened, again revealing the two chefs with the large hot chocolate machine on the cart. As they went down the aisle again, the machine spurted out hot chocolate, which landed perfectly in each cup. The waiters quickly distributed the cups and their dishes to each passenger, all while still dancing.

"Wow!" Carolyn said gleefully.

"What." Said Jack. It wasn't really a question. Carolyn took a sip and grinned broadly.

"Yum!"

"Delicious!" Rapunzel agreed.

"Hot chocolate? Why can't it ever be cold chocolate?" Asked Jack.

"Jaaack…" Said Carolyn while Merida, Rapunzel and Hiccup laughed.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Ooh, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Hey, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Say, we got it!"

"Hot chocolate!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Oh, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"So, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Yo, we got it!

"Hot chocolate!"

"Here, we only got one rule:"

"Here, we only got one rule:" Now all the waiters and both chefs were riding on the chocolate machine cart down the aisle. The cart turned on the spot when it reached the front of the carriage. It went back down the aisle again, spinning as it did so, with each waiter jumping off onto the seats' armrests on either side of the carriage.

"Never ever let it cool!"

"Never ever let it cool! Keep it cookin' in the pot,"

"Soon, ya got hot choc-o-late!" The Conductor slid forward, dropping to one knee.

"Hot! Hot!" Sang the Conductor, doing the moonwalk while the waiters jumped, twirled in midair, and landed perfectly around him.

"Yeah, we got it!" Sang the waiters and chefs, changing things up for the final verse.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Whoa, we got it!" The waiters stepped onto the armrests, to the wooden panel just above the windows then back flipped back to the aisle floor as if they were in a martial arts movie.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Yeah, we got it!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"Oh, we got it!" The waiters refilled the cups, then front flipped onto the tables, causing everyone to pull their cups and dishes away as the waiters began to dance atop the tables.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Yeah, we got it!" The waiters back flipped of the table, pulling the white cloths with them, only to reveal no table under the cloths, which each waiter donned as aprons once more. The Chocolate cart came by one last time, the chefs this time somersaulting over each seat's back, while the waiter collected the cups and dishes, while simultaneously turning some of the seats back around so the once again faced front. They all left through the front carriage door, followed by the Conductor, who slid it shut behind him.

"Craaaaaazyyyy." Said Jack, holding his head in both hands.

After all drinks had been finished and collected, Carolyn had bounced to her feet, wanting to see more of the Polar Express. To the relief of Jack's feet, Rapunzel offered to accompany her, so Jack scooted over to Carolyn's now vacant window seat and leaned his head on the cool glass. He was asleep almost immediately. Jack didn't know for how long he was out, but when he woke up, all was silent save for low hushed voices and the steady vibration from the window was conspicuously missing. It took him a moment to realize the Polar Express was stopped. Looking out the window, he saw several old designed houses. They were sharp and angular with slanting and sloping roofs. They looked Scandinavian, almost as if they were in… Norway…  
><em>No! No way! There was no way this train had just crossed the Atlantic!<em>  
>From his window he saw two girls standing a couple of feet away from his car. One had red hair in twin plaits. She was older than Carolyn, but looked younger than Jack. The other girl was slightly taller, with platinum blonde hair in a French braid down her back. She looked to be Jack's age. Both girls had blue eyes, but the redhead's had a slight greenish tinge to them, while the blonde's was a cool blue. Judging by some of their physical similarities, the girls were sisters. The sisters were holding hands and the redhead kept looking up at her sister, who had a look of hesitancy on her face. Jack immediately guess the younger girl wanted to go on the train, while the older on was having doubts.<p>

"Last call! All aboard!" Jack heard the Conductor's voice. When neither girl moved, he heard the Conductor say, "Suit yourselves." With a grunt, the train began to move again, slowly. Jack kept his gaze fixed on the girls as the train began to depart. Unexpectedly, to his surprise, the blonde began to run towards the train, pulling her sister along. _They were trying to board **now**?!_ Though they were next to the caboose, they were rapidly losing ground as the Polar Express picked up speed. Jack knew they would have to make their move soon or it would be too late. The next thing he knew however, one or both girls had tripped, and the two went down into the snow. Jack didn't know what compelled him to act, but he was soon on his feet, rushing to the end of the car, eyes searching for anything. That's when at the very back wall of the car he noticed a cord with a silver and red handle. _The emergency brake!_ Jack gripped it in both hands and without a moment's hesitation, yanked it down with all his might.  
>A loud metallic squeal rang through the air as the train's brakes locked its wheels, bringing it to a screeching halt and sending everyone falling about. Jack slammed into the rear of the compartment, several kids fell over in their seats and Hiccup crashed into Merida sending them both into the train's floor with Hiccup on top of her. Hiccup looked up to meet Merida's scowling face. He laughed nervously, but her expression remained the same.<p>

"I swear on my life, it was an accident!" He said.

"It better 'ave been, dragon-boy!"

As Jack straightened up, he looked through the window into the final car and saw the two girls board the train. A small smile tugged on his lips; he had succeeded.

"Who in the blazes applied that emergency brake?!" Cried the Conductor entering the car. Everyone was dead silent.

"I did." Said Jack. The Conductor glared angrily at him.

"You! In case you didn't know, that cord is for emergency purposes only! And in case you weren't aware, tonight is Christmas Eve! And in case you hadn't noticed, this train is on a very tight schedule! Now, young man, Christmas may not be important to _some_ people, but it is _very_ important to the rest of us!"

"But… but…"

"...he was just trying to stop the train so those two girls could get on." Said Carolyn. The Conductor looked up where through the window to the last car, he could indeed see the two girls.

"I see. Young man, is that what happened?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, let me remind you we are on a very tight schedule. I've never been late before a-a-and I am certainly not going to be late tonight! Now, everybody, take your seats, please! Thank you." A few moments after the Conductor departed, the Polar Express began to move again. As Jack took his seat, he noticed the two girls decided to stay in the darkened empty caboose instead of coming into the lit carriage just in front of it. _Why had they decided to sit apart from everyone else?_ He exchanged a glance with Rapunzel who shrugged. Making up his mind, Jack got up and made his way to the door between cars, Carolyn following close behind him.

* * *

><p>AN2: I know in the movie, the Conductor punches two letters per ticket, but I felt it would be to easy to guess some of these if I did two, so I went with just one letter each. Also, in the movie, all the phrases given to each ticket are verbs. In my story, two won't, but you'll have to wait (or guess) to know which they are. Anyway, Elsa and Anna have joined on the trip and now the adventure can really begin!

**Guest (MixyBell)**: Glad you like it!

**Spiderfan626**: I'm glad you like it too. I'll try to update as soon as possible, chapter 3 of Gathering Darkness is almost ready, but my workload for my finals literally just got quadrupled for one class. I went from having to write one sonnet to having to write three and writing a 10-15 page story, and that's not counting exams and research papers for my other classes:(


	3. Running

A/N: And here's the promised chapter 3. It's shorter than the others, but I wanted to do everyone's background for a change. Enjoy all!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey  
>Chapter 3: Running<p>

Jack and Carolyn stepped into the caboose and sat down opposite the two sisters. Jack tried not to stare at the two girls as he thought of how to strike up a conversation. After a while with no ideas, he decided on a simple introduction.  
>"I'm Jack…Frost. And this is my sister, Carolyn." The two girls looked up, looks of surprise on their faces as if shocked to have anyone addressing them.<p>

"I'm Elsa Arendelle, and this is my little sister, Anna." The blonde finally replied.

"Thanks for stopping the train for us." Said Anna.

"Ah, it was nothing." Jack shrugged, trying to play it off. Once more they fell into an awkward silence. Carolyn looked at him and he shrugged.

"So… erm, what brought you girls out at night in the cold?" Jack tried. Both girls cringed and once more looked shocked, yet there was something more. Sadness and… distrust?

"We're… orphans." Elsa admitted. "Our parents died in a storm at sea."

"We've been alone, just the two of us, for a long time." Anna added sadly.

"I'm sorry." Said Carolyn.

"We're orphans too." Jack revealed. Elsa and Anna's eyes widened at this. That got their attention. "Our parents died in a snowstorm. We were running away from the orphanage when we came upon this train."

"Both you guys and us had parents die in storms, isn't that weird?" Asked Anna.

"Yeah." Agreed Carolyn.

"It is strange." Said Elsa.

"I guess…" Said Jack.

The four in the car had fallen into silence after the initial introductions, but it didn't last long. Soon the door to their car slid open and in walked a boy with mess brown hair. He looked panicked and quickly took in the occupants. He look at Elsa and Anna as he addressed them.

"Hi girls, I'm Hiccup Haddock; nice to meet you. Mind if I hide out here, Merida's trying to kill me. Okay, thanks!" Hiccup said quickly, not giving anyone time to respond. He ran into the car and dove into the bench behind Jack. Literally behind Jack.

"Hey!" Said Jack as he was nearly thrown to the floor.

"Shh!" Hiccup shushed. A moment later the door into the car of their old car opened again.

"Now what?" Jack muttered to himself. A blonde girl trying to hold back a furious redhead was his answer.

"Merida, please! Be sensible!" Cried Rupunzel, trying to hold the fiery redhead back. "It was an accident!"

"Sensible! I'll show him **sensible**!"

"Hi, I'm Rapunzel Corona and this here is Merida Dunbroch."

"When I get my hands on that little creep, he'll be sorry he ever crossed me!" Said Merida.

"Is she really after-?" Carolyn asked curiously.

"Who else?!" Merida raged. "The lizard lover!"

Hiccup cowered behind Jack.  
>"Kill <em>him<em>! He pulled the brakes!" He said pushing Jack forward.

"Hey!" Said Jack.

"He wasn't the one that fell on me!" Raged Merida, pulling Hiccup out from behind Jack and holding him by the collar of his shirt. To everyone's surprise, she was strong enough to lift Hiccup a few inches of the ground.

"Please have mercy!" Cried Hiccup.

"Mercy! I'll show you mercy!" Yelled Merida, raising her fist. Hiccup gave a high-pitched scream which caused Anna to giggle.

"Alright enough." Said Jack, bravely stepping between Merida and her prey. "No one's gonna commit murder on the Polar Express." Merida continued to glare t Hiccup but released him none-the-less. "Now let's all just sit here and enjoy this car we have to ourselves." As the group rearranged them selves to accommodate the newcomers, Jack and Carolyn sat on Elsa and Anna's bench, with Jack beside Elsa, and Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida taking the bench opposite, Rapunzel between the other two. Merida continued to send death glares Hiccup's way who in turn shrank down into his seat as if hoping to vanish into the bench.

"So… what brings everyone of us here onto the Polar Express?" Carolyn asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm uh… I'm fleeing my wedding." Said Rapunzel. Everyone looked at her in shock  
>"What?" They all said together. Rapunzel smiled nervously then looked down at hands.<p>

"Well, I'm supposed to get married to this guy, Eugene Fitzherbert. He's completely full of himself! He's a jerk, he's arrogant, he's loudmouthed, he's probably in love with himself!" The last description drew laughs from the others.

"Well, why are you getting married? Couldn't you have just said no?" Asked Anna.

"No. I _have_ to get married. I don't have a choice. My parents are making me marry him."

"That sucks." Said Jack.

"Why do you _have_ to get married?" Asked Carolyn.

"Well, I have to. It's my duty and responsibility" Rapunzel replied. "You see, I'm a… well, I'm… oh, you'd never believe me."

"We're on a magical train, heading towards the North Pole, with acrobatic waiters and dragon-boy." Jack finished, gesturing at Hiccup. "Try us."

"I'm a… I'm a princess."

"Say what?!" Hiccup yelped.

"Yeah, that right." Said Rupunzel. "From the Kingdom of Corona."

"Let me guess," Jack said turning to Hiccup, an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "You're a gladiator?"

"I'm a Viking!" Hiccup replied indignantly. "Honestly, haven't you been paying attention?"

"So what's your story?" Asked Carolyn. Hiccup sighed heavily.

"My dad's the chieftain of the Hairy Hooligans Viking tribe and he expects me to be this great dragon slayer."

"But…" Urged Rapunzel.

"Well, I'm not any good at fighting dragons. I'm not good at anything Viking."

"Pfft. Big surprise." Merida muttered.

"And… I don't think we should be fighting dragons." Hiccup continued. "I think we can coexist with them." Carolyn looked at Jack.

"Jack? You look like you want to say something." She said.

"Hmm? No, actually. Nothing surprises me anymore."

"He still doesn't believe any of this." Carolyn told the others, snickering.

"What about you Merida?" Asked Rapunzel. "What caused you to board the Polar Express."

"Mah Mot'er. She's too controlin'! She wants me to be ah 'propa laydee'. All because she's and mah fat'er are leaders of the Dunbroch clan! She coulda been like dad and let me be myself, bu' no! I haveta be a laydee and find a suitor!"

"You too huh?" Asked Rapunzel. Merida nodded angrily.

"Wow." Said Jack, monotonously. "A princess, a chief's son and a clan maiden. And us four humble, lowly peasants over on this side."

"What of you guys?" Asked Rapunzel. Carolyn readily told her and Jack's tale, but Jack nudged her quiet when she had begun to tell Elsa and Anna's.

"That's not ours to tell." He said. Elsa looked at Jack gratefully.

"Our situation is similar to theirs." Elsa said nodding to Jack and Carolyn.

"Isn't that odd?" Rapunzel spoke up all of a sudden.

"What?" All the others asked simultaneously, turning to look at her and seeing that the blonde was looking thoughtful.

"Well, I think it's funny that we're all running from something." At this the car fell silent again, each passenger turning to their own thoughts.

After a long while in silence the door to the car yet again slid open. The seven looked up to see none other than the Conductor in the doorway. Without a word, he strolled in to stand before Elsa and Anna.

"Tickets please." Said the Conductor. Elsa and Anna stared on nervously, knowing they didn't have tickets to be on this train.  
>"Pocket." Jack said helpfully. They looked at him confused but complied. Both girls reached into their pockets, and the looks on their faces changed to shock and<br>surprise. They each pulled out a golden ticket identical to those of the others.

"Thank you." Said the Conductor, rapidly working the ticket puncher before returning the tickets.

"How…?" Elsa began but didn't know how to word her question. Jack shrugged.

"It does that."

"So weird." Said Anna, turning her ticket around to examine it.

"What'd you get?" Asked Jack, curiously.

"I got an E." Said Anna. They looked to her sister.

"A T." Said Elsa, confused. Jack smiled at her.

"No idea." He said. "None of us do."

* * *

><p>AN2: So, what are the odds that they would all be running from something, huh? Actually, I think it's pretty good. Many of the characters actually have a lot in common even in normal canon so I thought this bit of coincidence could easily happen.

**The Golden Sun**: Thank you!

**Tarrytarry**: Thanks! I always try my best to give my readers an immersive experience.

**L.M.H. Shimmer Shine**: Yeah, I love it too. I made it a sort of tradition to watch a couple times every year around Christmas too. I also love Christmas, not just for the presents, but also for the cold. I love winter!


	4. Snowing

A/N: Hey folks. Sorry I wasn't able to post a chapter last week. My professors decided that they wanted to see our final papers' rough draft today and for this coming Friday, so I was double-timing my work to get it at least to a presentable level. As such, I'l try my hardest to get chapter 5 up by Friday or Saturday to make up for it. On another note, today (November 19 for those of you on the other side of the world or reading some other day) marks the *_**TENTH**_* anniversary since I joined FFN! (Goodness, where _has_ the time gone?!). Also of note, today marks the first anniversary of Frozen's premier at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood!  
>So without further ado, here's chapter 4 with the beginnings of Jelsa starting to show.<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey  
>Chapter 4: Snowing<p>

"So, is this train really magical?" Elsa asked. It had been a while since the Conductor had left, and the group had kept up mall conversations, mainly due to Rapunzel keeping it going. Jack shrugged.

"That seems to be the general belief around here."

"So cool!" Anna squealed happily.

"What do you think?" Elsa asked.

"I think there's some really, really weird and crazy stuff that I can't explain going on."

"Duh!" Said Carolyn. "That's because it's magical!"

"Nothing we've seen proves this is a magical train."

"What about the waiters?"

"Highly trained professional acrobats."

"What about their appearing and vanishing table?!"

"A magic trick. Probably forced perspective, misdirection or a collapsible prop."

"What?!"

"What?"

"I don't believe you Jack."

"I'm serious."

Everyone had fallen into silence after that bit of conversation. Not want to let the atmosphere turn awkward, Rapunzel dutifully piped in.  
>"So, what are you guy's favorite part of Christmas?" She asked. Everyone looked at one another. Hiccup was the first to reply.<p>

"Uhm, well we have Christmas in Berk, but we don't really celebrate it. We're always way too busy."

"We 'ave Christmas in Scotland too, but the Clan Dunbroch rarely has time for festivities other than f'r the wee kids. We're too busy trying to keep all the clans from rippin' each other ap'rt!"

"Oh my!" Said Rapunzel.

"We don't really have much either." Jack admitted. "Just a small meal between all the orphans and whatever presents get donated."

"But is still so much fun!" Said Carolyn. "I love getting to eat something special, even if it is very small, and Jack gives me his present. He is just the best! I love spending Christmas with him! That's the best part for me."

"Aww!" Said all the others, while Jack chuckled and kissed the top of his sister's head.

"What about you Punzie?" Asked Anna. The others snickered at Anna's nickname for the blonde, but Rapunzel took it in good humor.

"We have Christmas too, but ironically, Corona is more of a Kingdom of Summer. We really favor more the Christmas lights and the family togetherness than anything else really." She looked to Elsa and Anna. "What about you girls?" Anna looked down, while Elsa looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, we don't really have any meals or presents." Said Anna.

"We just spend it inside several boxes with newspapers to keep warm." Elsa confessed. "We've been on the streets since… since we lost our parents."

"Geez…" Muttered Hiccup, while Merida shook her head sadly. Rapunzel stood and crossed the aisle, wrapping Anna in a huge hug. Jack reflexively made to wrap a comforting arm around Elsa, but then hesitated, knowing how she liked to keep to herself and not sure if it'd be rightly proper of him to do that. Once again the group fell into that same awkward silence that seemed to persist no matter how hard Rapunzel tried to stave it off. A few minutes passed when there was a knock on the car's door. Jack opened it to find a tray with two cups of hot chocolate. He took them and closed the door behind him.

"Here." He said, handing a cup to Elsa and one to Anna. Both girls took their cups gratefully. Anna happily drank hers up right away, though Elsa hung onto hers for a bit stating that it was too hot. Jack smiled knowingly.

Carolyn was the first to fall asleep, despite all her energy. Or maybe it was because of it that she had tired herself out. Anna soon followed. Rapunzel fell asleep. Following was Hiccup, perhaps because Rapunzel, his protection against Merida was now asleep and he didn't want to get murdered while she napped. That left just Jack and Elsa awake, though they sat in silence, glancing everywhere around the car except at each other. Elsa didn't know when Jack fell asleep, but soon enough she was the only one left awake. She looked around at all the people there. As small, weak smiled tried to flit across her lips, but it was faint and vanished as quickly as it came, gone like a mirage.

Jack jerked awake, panting hard. He was moist with cold sweat. Looking around and taking in his surroundings, his heart slowed back down to a normal pace. He'd had a nightmare of when he'd found out that they were planning to separate Carolyn from him. He couldn't tell her everything. He just couldn't…  
>He noticed Elsa missing and looked around for her. He eventually noticed the door at the rear of the carriage was open and he saw Elsa leaning against the car's rear railing, watching the landscape passing by. The lights from the inside of the caboose cast a soft beam on her, making Elsa's pale skin seem to glow. Smiling ever so slightly, Jack rose to his feet and strolled out to her. As he approached, he realized she was softly humming a beautiful little tune.<p>

"Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore." She softly sang. "Here I stand and here I'll stay..."

"Hey." Said Jack. Elsa gave a start, whirling around.

"Oh! Jack!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"No it's all right. I was just a bit surprised."

"Mind if I stand here?"

"Go right ahead." Jack walked up beside her and leaned his arms on the railing, looking out like Elsa was.

"So, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I was just thinking."

"May I ask what was that song you were humming?"

"It… it was just a little song I used to sing for my parents before…"

"Oh. I would like to hear it."

"I, um…I… uhm…" Realizing this was embarrassing Elsa, Jack raised up a hand.

"Someday." He said. Elsa smiled gratefully.

"Someday." She agreed. They fell into silence again, though it wasn't as awkward as last time. Jack cast about for a topic and eventually decided on one that had piqued his curiosity.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Not really." She replied. "I like the cold. I'm used to it."

"Oh. So am I." He said. Jack could have sworn he saw a small smile skitter across Elsa's face. It was at that moment that he became aware of small white flakes falling lightly from the sky, lazily drifting on the wind as they came down. "Hey look. It's snowing."

"Yeah; it's so beautiful." Elsa said watching the snow falling with an enchanted look on her face. Jack looked at her in surprise.

"I haven't heard some one refer to snow as beautiful in a long, long time."

"Really? I love it."

"Me too." Jack smiled. The Polar Express shuddered slightly as it passed over uneven terrain and Elsa lost her balance knocking into Jack. The white haired teen reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling to the floor.

"Sorry." Elsa squeaked nervously. Jack smiled kindly.

"It's okay." He said helping her steady herself. Elsa felt a bit of heat rising to her face and looked back out at the land to try to hide the blush that had crept up her face. Hopefully it was dark enough that Jack wouldn't notice. "So, uh, may I ask what finally made you decide to board this train?"

"Well…" Elsa hesitated for a moment, here eyes looking around as if hoping to find a good enough answer. "I know it's going to sound crazy, but I felt like we should get on. It's not like we _had_ to get on like it was life or death, but it felt like we really should. That's what happened. I hesitated because I'm so cautious, and I didn't just want to board random vehicles, but I felt so strongly like we should. That's why I ultimately decided to get on. I think Anna may have felt it too, I'm not sure."

"Hmm." Jack said thoughtfully. "Carolyn and I met a strange man on a platform with a bell that didn't ring and he told us we should get on to 'find our destiny' or something. I don't know if I boarded just to get us away from him or if it was to give Carolyn somewhere warm."

"Jack, I have a theory about this train. Judging from u and the others, what if the people here are the people who are at risk?"

"At risk of what?" Jack asked.

"At risk of stopping believing in Christmas." Jack thought for a moment.

"But that would mean that Carolyn and Anna aren't really supposed to be here, that they're here only as 'add-ons' because of us."

"Maybe." Elsa said thoughtfully. But Jack, what if… what if it's because they're starting to not believe anymore? That would be terrible! They're both so young!"  
>Jack looked down guiltily.<p>

"I always celebrate Christmas with Carolyn, but I also constantly tell her that Santa Claus isn't real."

"What? Jack, why would you do that? She's only eight or nine."

"I don't know. I don't want her living with false hope. Hope is something that hurts so much when it's broken, and with something that can only be broken… I don't want her to go through that. I just want to give her hope that can be real and tangible. Like that maybe someday we'll have a nice warm home with food and people who love us." As Jack finished, he noticed Elsa looking down at the passing tracks, a distant look in her eyes, her face forlorn.

"I can relate." She said softly. Jack reassuringly placed a hand on hers.  
>"Don't worry Elsa. We'll make it. Somehow, we'll make it."<p>

* * *

><p>AN2: Well, it's been a hard time coming in writing this story due to all my classwork, and I haven't been able to really work on my other stories, but finally some good news: there are only 7 more days let until the semester is over (well, there are exams around December 10 or so, nut I'll worry about that later), so I intend to _finally_ get back to work on Through The Storm and Gathering Darkness.

**Guest**: Thank you! Yes, I wanted to go about greeting my own story that fit into the universe without just straight up copying the movie and merely replacing the characters.

**barlowbabes**: Yes it is. I felt that if I copied it precisely, that would be 'cheating'. There are going to be a lot of references and similiar scenes, but for the most part, this is my own story paralleling the events of the movie. Thank you!


	5. Secrets Revealed

A/N: As promised, here is chapter 5. To be honest, I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it done in time, I'm glad I got it done on schedule. It's a bit short, but it's one big Jack/Elsa bonding moment so, I hope you all like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey  
>Chapter 5: Secrets Revealed<p>

After some minute watching the passing landscape with Jack, Elsa decided to head in. As she turned to reenter the train, Jack called out to her.  
>"Elsa, wait." Elsa turned back to look at him.<p>

"Yes Jack?" Jack looked at his feet, trying to think of a way to explain what he wanted to say. After a minute or two, he looked back up.

"I want to show you something." Elsa raised an eyebrow as she watched Jack back up to the railing. "I know we just met and it would be unfair for me to ask you to trust me, so I'm going tow show trust in you first."

"Jack?" Elsa asked. Before she could do anything else, Jack climbed up on the railing and jumped off the back of the train! "Jack!" Elsa ran to the railings in fear. Jack's head popped back up, grinning at her. His hands were on the railing, but was he getting dragged? Elsa looked down to see snow skis on Jack's feet. No, not snow skis, ice skis! Literally skis made of _ice_! Elsa looked into his face in shock. "How are you doing that?!"

"I can control and manipulate ice." Jack replied. He offered her a hand. "Would you like to join me out here?"

"I…" Sensing her hesitancy, Jack decided not to push her.

"It's up to you." Elsa nodded and took his hand. With a bit of difficulty, she climbed over the railing, with Jack's help and onto the skis with him. They were in a rather awkward position standing face-to-face with each other in close proximity. Looking down at the tracks and ground rushing past, Elsa gave a small whimper. Jack noticed and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"It's okay." He whispered into her ear. "You're safe." Elsa blushed and looked down.

"So, um… now what?" She asked in hopes he wouldn't notice her blush. Jack looked around thoughtfully.

"This won't do." He said with a smirk. "I can't see anything except your face." _Your beautiful, beautiful face_.

"Jack?" Jack suddenly scooped Elsa up in both arms, a rope of ice and snow forming around his waist and attaching to the Polar Express to keep the still connected to the train. "Aah!" Elsa screamed, wrapping her arms tightly around Jack's neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Don't worry! You're fine!" Jack chuckled. "You're safe! I promise!" Elsa whimpered again. She couldn't see, due to her eyes being clenched shut tightly and her face was still hidden in Jack's shoulder, but she could still feel their speed.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise. Open your eyes." Elsa did so and gasped.

"We're going so fast!"

"You're right." Jack laughed. "Let's do this at our own pace." And with that, the ice rope vanished.

"Jack!" Elsa cried again, holding the laughing teen even tighter as they veered off from the train and towards the hills of the mountainside.

"Relax Elsa. Have fun. Let loose." Jack suggested. Elsa looked at him incredulously and said the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Do you realize how ironic it is that you don't believe the Polar Express is magical when you yourself can do magic?" She asked. Jack shook his head.

"This isn't magic. It's…science."

"How is this science?"

"It's cryokinesis." He replied. "I've had it ever since I was born." Elsa raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Jack sent them winding through some trees. As they moved across the forest on the mountainside, they heard the sound of a whistle and looked around to see the Polar Express running parallel to them, just down the slope.

"We're still going fast!" Elsa noted, an edge of nervousness in her voice. Jack laughed again.

"Yes we are!" Jack turned them into the mountain, their momentum enough to carry them up it. "Let's jump for it!"

"Jump?!" Elsa gasped, looking into Jack's grinning face. "**What do you mean _jump_?!**"

"Like this!" A ramp made purely of solid, transparent ice formed ahead of them and they shot up it, catapulting into the sky.

"Wahoooooo!" Jack cheered.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" Elsa screamed. Somewhere behind and below them, the Polar Express's whistle blasted again.

Somewhere on the mountainside, a lone, snowy, white-furred wolf was sniffing around for food.  
>"Aaaaaaahhhh!" The scream came about suddenly and the wolf leapt back as two kids on ice skis landed before it. The wolf's mouth feel open as it started with wide eyes. The skis started to slide backwards and Jack whooped while Elsa gave a startled scream.<p>

"Hang on!" Jack laughed as the rolled backwards down the mountain. As they slid down the mountainside, Jack turned them around so he could see where they were going and to avoid trees.

"This is the greatest fun I've ever had in all my life!" Jack laughed.

"You mean you've never done this before?!"

"Nope!"

"Jack!"

"I've ice skied before though, just never this fast. It's exhilarating!"

"It's terrifying!"

"But it is fun?"

"Plummeting down a mountainside at breakneck speeds is not my idea of fun!"

"But it is the most fun you've ever had, isn't it? Come on Elsa, admit it. Please?" Jack begged. Elsa looked down at his pleading face and almost laughed.

"Okay, fine. It's fun."

"**YES!**" Jack cheered.

"Now can we get back to the train before we end up doing the landscaping with our bodies?" Jack laughed at that.

"Sure Els, sure." He aimed them towards an overhang on the mountainside.

"Jack?"

"Hang on!" Jack grinned, crouching slightly to build up speed.

"Jack!" They launched off the overhang into the air once more. As the passed through dark gray smoke, Elsa realized the Polar Express was passing just below them.

With a slight jolt, they landed on the train's roof, their momentum carrying them forward. The shot over the roof of several cars, barely slowing down.

"We're too fast!" Said Elsa.

"I'm having trouble slowing us down!" Said Jack, sounding nervous for the first time during their little excursion. "The snow on the roof is packed too well and my skis are too smooth!" Still at speeds, they rocketed off the side of the train.

"Whoooaaa!" They both cried out as they sailed through the air. Jack became aware of a large stone, partially uncovered of snow, jutting out directly beneath them. If they struck it, which looked as it was about to be the case judging by their trajectory, it would completely shatter the ice skis. And then suddenly, there was small, curving ice slope over the stone. They hit the slope, sliding down at speeds and were launched back into the air.

"I didn't do that…" Jack muttered to himself glancing back at the slope, then turned to look at Elsa. "Elsa?"

"So maybe I have cryokinesis too." She said, not meeting his eyes. They landed directly behind the Polar Express's last car and Jack quickly reformed the ice rope. The rope gradually got shorter, reeling them back in towards the train. Jack carefully lifted Elsa up and over the railing, then climbed up and over himself, his ice skis vanishing.

Jack glanced back at the mountainside, then back to the blonde before him.  
>"That was amazing Elsa!" He said, the largest smile on his face yet. "You were amazing!"<p>

"Thanks…" Elsa said sheepishly, rubbing one arm. "And thanks for the ride."

"Why didn't you say you had powers?" Jack asked.

"Because I was afraid. I was scared of being thought a freak after having to hide it for so long."

"But you saw I had powers, you didn't have to worry about me."

"I know, but I'm so used to the fear and uncertainty. I don't want people to know. They would treat me like a freak. That's why I kept it a secret all my life."

"I understand. That's why I kept it a secret too." Jack admitted. "I just want you to know they I will never treat you like a freak. I would like to be our friend Elsa." Elsa gave him a small, warm smile.

"Thanks Jack." Jack returned her smile.

"Anytime." He began to move towards the door into the car, then stopped as he realized Elsa hadn't budged.

"You go on ahead." She said. "I'll be right in."

"Alright." He nodded, heading in. Elsa smiled again then sighed.

* * *

><p>AN2: And with this chapter, we are officially at the halfway point of the story. And now I finally know what I'm going to do with the rest of the story (I already knew how I wanted to end it, but was having trouble with the second half. At least now I have an idea of where to go with it).

**BEASBeth**: LOL what? I know you were tired when I PMed you, but just how exhausted were you? *_**I**_* was the one who told you about the El Capitan premier anniversary after you thought Frozen's only premier had been on the 27th. Remember? You even called me a doofus because you thought I had gotten the date wrong.


	6. On the Roof

A/N: As celebration for the 10th anniversary of publishing my first story, here is chapter 6 of The Journey! I was originally going to update Gathering Darkness, but I wanted a few more days to work on it (that means it's coming soon!). Also, I updated my profile if anyone is interested.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey  
>Chapter 6: On the Roof<p>

When Jack had gotten back into the car, he paced around for a bit in thought. After a while, he went over to where Carolyn was still sleeping and shifted her slightly so that she was in a more comfortable position and one where she'd be less likely to fall over. Jack looked back to the outside of the caboose and frowned when he didn't see Elsa anywhere.  
>"Elsa?" He asked. He walked outside and looked around. There wasn't a trace of her anywhere. Jack began to feel a wave a panic rush over him. "Elsa? Elsa! ELSA!" His shouting woke the others who began to stir. Anna sat up and looked around.<p>

"Where's Elsa?!" She asked desperately when she realized her sister was not there.

"I don't know! She was right outside!" Jack answered. The others were on their feet in a flash and hurried outside, calling after her.

"Elsa!"

"Do you think she could have fallen off?" Asked Rapunzel.

"Wait! Look!" Said Merida, pointing to a ladder on the side of the caboose. The ladder was frosted over, but part of the ice looked disturbed, as if someone had just climbed it recently.

"She must have gone on the roof!" Jack reasoned. He leaned over the railing and grabbed the ladder. The wind was strong, but Jack's determination was stronger and he pulled the rest of his body over the railing and onto the ladder, beginning to climb up towards the roof.

Almost as soon as he poked his head up over the top of the train, Jack made out a blonde figure sitting cross-legged on the car's roof, staring up at the night sky.

"Elsa? What are you doing up here?" He called out, as he pulled himself onto the roo

"Jack? What are you doing up here?" Elsa asked as she glanced at him.

"Looking for you! We thought you might be in danger!"

"We?" Asked Elsa. She got her reply when Anna emerged behind Jack, quickly followed by Rapunzel Merida, Carolyn and Hiccup. Elsa felt her eyes watering. _They **all** cared to come after her?  
><em>  
>"Oh Elsa!" Said Anna, hugging her older sister. "I was SO worried!"<p>

"You're all here?"

"Of course!" Said Rapunzel. "You're our friend!"

"We were worried abou' you, lass." Added Merida.

"We feared you might have fallen off." Said Hiccup. "Jack was particularly distraught." Elsa saw Jack balk and blush.

"Yes, Jack led the charge to find you." Said Carolyn. Elsa was deeply touched by their gesture. Since their parents' deaths, never had anyone, outside of Anna, cared so much for her.

"Sorry for worrying you all. I just needed some time to think."

"But on the roof?" Anna asked with a laugh. Elsa smiled sheepishly.

"I just wanted some time alone."

"Oh Elsa, you don't have to be alone." Said Anna. "It's Christmas Eve. We should all be together."

"I don't even know what's Christmas anymore." Elsa said sadly.

"Christmas is family and friends." Said Rapunzel.

"You must believe." Said Anna.

"I just don't know." Elsa confessed. It's just so hard to believe anymore. How can Christmas mean anything anymore? Our parents are gone and we have nothing left."

"That's not true! We have each other!" Said Anna. "And now we have friends. It's not the end of the world. It's the beginning of something new." She thought for a moment then seemed to decide on something.

"La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La." Sang Anna. "I'm wishing on a star and trying to believe that even though it's far, he'll find me Christmas Eve. I guess that Santa's busy, cause he's never come around. I think of him, when Christmas comes to town.

"The best time of the year, when everyone comes home." Sang Rapunzel, as she placed her hands on Anna's shoulders, smiling as she sang. "With all this Christmas cheer, it's hard to be alone. Putting up the Christmas tree, with friends who come around. It's so much fun, when Christmas comes to town."

"Presents for the children wrapped in red and green. All the things I've heard about, but never really seen." Sang Carolyn.

"No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas Eve, hoping Santa's on his way." Sang Rapunzel.

"Presents for the children wrapped in red and green. All the things I've heard about, but never really seen." Anna and Carolyn sang together.

"No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas Eve, hoping Santa's on his way." Sang Merida.

"When Santa's sleigh bells ring," Sang Hiccup.

"I listen all around," Sang Anna.

"The herald angels sing," Sang Merida.

"I never hear a sound." Said Jack. Carolyn placed her hands comfortingly on her brother's arm, looking up at him.

"And all the dreams of children, once lost will all be found." She sang.

"That's all I want when Christmas comes to town." Sang Anna.

"That's all I want when Christmas comes to town." Anna finished with Carolyn, Rapunzel, Merida and Hiccup. Jack offered Elsa a hand and she accepted it, rising to her feet with his help.

"Thank you everyone." Said Elsa.

With Elsa now safely back with them, the friends made to return to their car when suddenly, the notice a change in the roof's angle.

"What the-?!" Said Hiccup as they began sliding backwards towards the front of the car.

"We're goin' down!" Said Merida. The grade was rapidly and dangerously increasing and it was becoming impossible for the kids to keep their footing at those angles.

"Everybody get down and hold on to something!" Cried Elsa.

"We'll have to crawl for it!" Said Merida as she tried to inch her way along the roof on her stomach.

"Everyone be careful!' Added Jack, an arm around Carolyn to steady her. "Take it slow!" The going was incredibly slow and they hadn't gotten very far when Anna looked back and saw a mountain ahead of the Polar Express. What's more the mountain had an opening with icicles hanging off of it like the mouth of a great beast. Above the opening were two great holes like eyes and above those were a further two holes, smaller, like nostrils. The mountain looked like it had the face of a dragon.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked. Everyone looked back and gasped.

"It's a tunnel!" Screamed Elsa.

"Everybody down!" Jack yelled. "Get off the roof!" They all scrambled for safety heading either towards the sides or rear of the car. Jack himself dove for the right side of the car. He miscalculated and flew off the roof. His hands instinctively shot for the edge of the roof, just barely missing. For a moment he was overcome by an intense, sickening feeling of vertigo as he was in midair. The next moment he felt something catch his wrist, guiding his hand to a maintenance support railing on the edge of the roof. Expecting that one of the others had saved him, Jack received the surprise of his life when he looked up and saw a man in a dirty, raggedy brown jacket, with red fingerless gloves and a brown flat cap. The man put the index finger of his free hand against his lips then vanished with the wind, seemingly dematerializing into snow. Jack blinked. _Had he just imagined all of that?_ Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by Rapunzel's voice.

"Merida! Get down!" The blonde practically screamed. Jack noticed Elsa and Rapunzel were beside him.

"Ah can't! Mah foot's stuck!" Merida shouted back. Jack tried to pull himself up to help her, but the wind against the side of the train was too strong and it was all he could do to just hang on for is life.

"Hiccup, wait!" Jack heard Anna yell from the opposite side of the car. "Come back!" Hiccup, the only one who had actually made it to the back of the car and had been shielded from the wind by the space between this car and the next one. As such, he was able to climb back up and was now running full speed towards Merida.

"HICCUP!" Merida yelled. It was too close. The tunnel was right there! Hiccup jumped then all went dark as the train entered the tunnel. When the Polar Express finally emerged on the other side, there was a lot less wind, partially because it was known on level grade and partially because the mountain now blocked it. Jack quickly pulled himself back onto the roof, then helped Elsa and Rapunzel up. Opposite them, Anna was helping Carolyn up too. They all looked around fearfully; there was no sign of Hiccup or Merida. Making ther way to the front of the car, they peered down to the coupler connecting that car with the one in front of it. To their relief, there was Merida, lying on her back, Hiccup atop her, where tthey had fallen between the cars.

"Are you guys okay?!" Asked Rapunzel.

"Fine!" Hiccup called up.

"Get off me!" Said Merida pushing him off.

"You're welcome." Hiccup muttered as he got up and dusted himself off. Merida glared at him as she stood. As fast as an arrow, she punched Hiccup in the arm. Hard.  
>"Ow! What-?!" Cried Hiccup.<p>

"That was f'r fallin' on me ag'in!" Merida replied angrily. "An' this!" She grabbed Hiccup by the collar, causing him to whimper while the others cringed, everyone expecting another blow. "Is f'r savin' me!" She crashed their lips together, shocking everyone, but no one more then the wide-eyed Hiccup.

"Whoa." Said Hiccup, collapsing back onto the coupler base. The other five kids just laughed.

After helping Merida and Hiccup back onto the roof, the group started backing their way slowly back to the caboose. As he turned to follow them, something caught Jack's eye, and he stared into the distance towards the front of the train.

"Jack?" Asked Elsa, walking up beside him.

"Thought I saw something." He said, staring at the same spot. "I wanna go check it out.

"I'll go with you."

"No, it's safe with the others." Jack replied, finally turning to her. "Get down to the car and keep warm."

"No! I wanna help you! There's safety in numbers. If you fall off, I can catch you." Jack smiled at her determination. There would be no arguing with her.

"Alright then, let's go."

* * *

><p>AN2: Hiccup is such a heroic guy, isn't he? And Merida still won't take it easy on him! Anyone care to guess who rescued Jack?;)

**BEASBeth**: But you thought you had gotten the wrong date and discarded the thought (calling me doofus as you thought the date didn't mean anything at all). We've really gotten off-topic, huh? Lol! Oh well.


	7. DownhillOn Thin Ice

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. If any f you are wondering 'where the heck is the Gathering Darkness update I mention' that actually explains why this story got delayed. Earlier this month, I got an idea for a one-shot as a gift for you guys (you'll have to wait till the 25th) and then on Sunday the 7th, I got major new ideas for Gathering Darkness, that required significant rewrites, even of the nearly complete chapter 3. Tomorrow morning, I'll be traveling so if all goes well, I can update Gathering Darkness if not this weekend then Monday and maybe even get ch. 4 out by the 29. If all goes well, I'll also try to get out chapter 8 of this fic by Sunday, 9 by Tuesday and 10 on Thursday (knock on wood). Regardless, Ch. 10 (the last chapter) will be on the 25th.  
>This is actually the longest chapter yet, but only by a little.<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey

Chapter 7: Downhill/On Thin Ice

As the five friends made their way back into their car, Hiccup notice that two of their members were missing.  
>"Wait a minute." He said stopping. "Where are Jack and Elsa?"<p>

"They're not here." Carolyn realized.

"We should go look for them." Said Anna.

"Let them be." Said Rapunzel.

"What?!" The other four asked, turning to her.

"They probably just want some time alone."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Hiccup.

"You know… mwah-mwah-mwah." Rapunzel replied, making exaggerated kissing sounds and face. Hiccup slapped his forehead, Anna and Carolyn squealed excitedly and Merida rolled her eyes.

"Rapunzel, you are such a conspiratorial fangirl." Merida muttered.

Meanwhile, Jack and Elsa were proceeding over the roofs of the various cars, when Elsa seemed to notice something that caught her attention.  
>"Hey, is it just me, or are we slowing down?" She asked. Jack looked around. The scenery did seem to be going by slower and the wind wasn't as bad.<p>

"I think you're right." As they continued their slow and careful progress, the Polar Express slowed more and more, before finally coming to a complete stop. By then, Jack and Elsa were on the roof of the first passenger car, just before the coal car. As they made their ways forward, a familiar voice floated up to them.

"Moose?!" The Conductor was yelling. "Moose! Last time it was elk! I remember the last time we were _this_ late, we ran into caribou! Why can we ever have something small, like field mice?!" Jack and Elsa climbed down behind the coal car and peered around to see a sea of moose before the stopped train. The Conductor stood near the front of the train with two others, a fat man and a very skinny man with long red beard. Both other men wore blue-and-white horizontal striped coveralls and hats.

"Wow, I never saw so many moose in one place." Said Jack.

"Me neither." Elsa agreed. She leaned forward, and accidentally stepped on an icicle that had fallen off the train. It broke with a loud crackling snap. The Conductor whirled around, spotting them.

"What the-?!" The Conductor exclaimed upon seeing Jack. "You again?! What is it this time? Sightseeing?!"

"Umm..."

"It's my fault, sir." Elsa chimed in. "I went onto the train roof to think. Jack got worried and came after me."

"Oh did he? Well, I guess in that case- on the roof?! Young lady, the roof is very, **_very dangerous_**! Please refrain from climbing up it again."

"Yes sir."

"I didn't know moose were herd animals." Said Jack.

"They're not." Elsa replied.

"All North Pole animals have friends." Said the Conductor as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Fortunately, we know how to get them to move."

"We do?" Jack and Elsa asked simultaneously.

"Ohh, do we have to?" Asked Smokey, the man with the long red beard. The Conductor didn't reply, merely crossing his arms, the same stern look on his face. "Oh, okay." With that the Conductor grabbed his beard and yanked it.

"Awoooooh!" Smokey yelled.

"Wuaue." One moose bellowed back. The Conductor grabbed Smokey's beard with both hands and yanked three times.

"Aw-aw-awooooooh!" The man screamed.

"Wauuue." The moose replied. Yet one of the moose moved away.

"Hmm. Well that didn't work." Said the Conductor. Elsa thought for a moment. She didn't want to do this but she had to. Not just for Anna, whom she wished to be able to see the North Pole but also for Carolyn and for all the kids on the train. Even herself.

"I… I can clear them away." She suggested, stepping up.

"You can?" The Conductor asked in shock. Jack looked at Elsa in surprise. Was she going to do what he thought she was? As everyone watched, Elsa strolled towards the front of the train, near the cowcatcher, and raised her arms, hands strait, fingers extended and slight apart. A steady stream of ice shot forth from her fingers, creating a mound of ice and snow before her. Elsa began to walk forward and as she did, so did the mound, and the moose stated backing away.

"Pretty impressive young lady." The Conductor smiled. He turned to the engineers. "All ahead slooow." The man climbed back onboard and got the train moving again.

"Come on Elsa! You can clear the path from inside the cab!" Jack called as he climbed into the cab himself. Without easing up on the ice, Elsa climbed up, moving to the side cab window and leaning out, keeping the snow-and-ice mound moving in front of the train.

While the Polar Express picked up speed again, the Conductor glanced at his pocket watch.

"Maybe we just might make it in time after all."

Jack leaned against one of the cab's sidewalls, bracing himself against a gradually increasing angle. _Wait angle?_  
>"Is it just me or are we starting to go uphill."<p>

"Ah yes." The Conductor replied, sounding unconcerned. "We should be there soon." Jack stuck his head out the window. A head he could see the track continuing to rise steeply, higher and higher. He gulped, swallowing hard.

"We're going too fast!" Said Jack. The Conductor frowned, realizing Jack was right.

"I said slowly!" He said. "Why aren't we slowing down?!"

"The tracks are frozen!" Steamer, the engineer and driver of the Polar Express, replied. "We **can't** slow down!" At this Elsa's eyes went wide as she realized she'd accidentally frozen the tracks. The beam of ice finally ceased, the mound before the train instantly stopping and burst apart as the Polar Express barreled through it. The Conductor walked up beside Jack and Elsa and stuck his head out the window. By this point, they could see the peak of a hill approaching, much like the top of a rollercoaster's start, with two signs, one on wither side of the tracks, visible.  
><em>DANGER 179° GRADE<em> and the other sign stated _USE LOW GEAR  
><em>  
>"Uh-oh. I don't like the looks of this." He said. "Quick! Everybody hang on!"<p>

"Are we going to be okay?" Elsa asked nervously.

"Well, considering we're inside the locomotive, in front of several tons of train, which has no functional brakes and we're rapidly approaching Glacier Gulch."

"What?!" Asked Jack.

"It just happens to be the steepest downhill grade in the world." The Conductor replied, bracing himself against the machinery. The engineers hugged each other while Jack pulled Elsa close, wrapping his free arm around the frame of the side cab window beside him. In a split second the entire Polar Express dove straight down, almost completely vertical.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" All five screamed as the train plunged downhill at top speed. The Polar Express reached a trough and was soon blasting upwards again as the tracks climbed once more. In a matter of seconds, the train peaked again and took another plunge. The next thing anyone knew, they were rising into the air as the plunge sent them into a negative G dive.

"Aaaaaaaahhh!" Screamed Elsa and the men as they rose into the air, completely weightless.

"Uh, Houston, we have a problem." Said Jack floating beside the others. The Polar Express leveled out for a moment sending everyone back down, only to take yet another negative G dive. When it finally leveled out for good, all five crashed to the ground with Smokey falling on Steamer and Elsa landing on Jack. The Conductor rose to his feet and looked out ahead of the train, to see the lake before them had frozen over the tracks. Again. The Polar Expressed jerked as it went onto the ice and began to drift dangerously, going almost completely sideways.

"**_Brake!_**" The Conductor practically screamed. Steamer pulled the brake lever, locking the wheels and coupling rods, causing the Polar Express to drift even more, sliding out as the cars passed the locomotive, pulling it along in turn. The whole train spun out on the ice, until soon, it was sliding sideway along the ice. Jack rose to his feet, griping the side of the window frame. As he did, ice spread out through the locomotive's body down to its wheels and onto the frozen lake. The ice froze solid at the wheels, but broke as the train kept sliding. More and more ice seemed to climb up from the lake, in a countless stream, grabbing at the wheels as the Polar Express continued to break through. The ice grew up larger, trying to brace the train and though it failed, each time the Polar Express smashed through it lost a bit of momentum. Then finally, a large chunk of ice rose up, which the locomotive smashed heavily into, getting locked into place. The ice didn't breaking, instead getting pushed back while constantly refreezing slowing the train down. At long last, the whole train came to a complete stop, the locomotive still resting against the large ice, holding the locomotive at a dangerous tilted angle. The next moment, the large ice vanished, allowing the locomotive to crash back down onto its wheels.

"What was that?!" Asked the Conductor, rising.

"I- I don't know." Jack admitted.

Elsa looked out the cab window onto the frozen lake.

"At least we stopped." She said.

"There see? No problem. And unlike the last time the Polar Express wound up in the middle of this frozen lake, there's no cotter pin to break the ice this time." Said the Conductor. He had barely finished speaking when the sound of a splintering crack went up through the air. "Of course, there is always the possibility that parts of the ice is thinner this time around."

"The ice is breaking!" Cried Elsa. Not only was the ice breaking apart, the various pieces we drifting away. In seconds, the entire Polar Express itself was stuck on a chunk of ice, like its own little island.

"We're adrift!" Said Jack, looking for an escape. There was none. They were completely surrounded by water. At the sound of anther loud crack they looked back along the length of the Polar Express. Around the middle of the train, their ice island had started to splinter and the center of the Polar Express dipped noticeably, the wheels of this middle cars already in the water as the ice sank as it broke under the train's weight.

"The ice can't take much more! The whole train will fall in!" Cried the Conductor.

"I can freeze the lake!" Said Elsa, determined to fix her mistake of freezing the tracks. She rushed to the window and aiming down at the breaking ice.  
>"Hrn!" Elsa grunted letting off the most powerful blast of ice she could muster. A frosty light blue crystalizing beam of pure ice shot from her right hand, instantly refreezing and mending the whole lake.<p>

"You're doing it!" Said Jack.

"I don't know how long I can hold it!" Elsa groaned, her voice strained under the force and pressure of maintain the ice under the full weight of the entire Polar Express.

"Let's get the blazes out of here!" Cried the Conductor. "All ahead full!" Steamer worked the controls, turning the train around so it was facing the correct direction, and starting it forward.

"There! The tracks!" Jack pointed out. Ahead of them was an opening along the far frozen hills; a passage. The Conductor began to call out directions as Steamer attempted to guide the Polar Express towards the tracks.

"Jack…" Jack turned around to see Elsa literally trembling under all the effort. "I can't hold it anymore!"

"Hang on! You… you can make it! I know you can! I- I believe in you!"

"Jack! Please… help me!"

"Elsa…"  
>Elsa was trying her hardest, but the train was just too heavy and the ice breaking too fast.<p>

"I- I can't do it!" She gasped. Suddenly, she felt a hand take her free hand and a second beam of ice appeared beside her own. Elsa looked beside her to see Jack staring straight ahead determinedly. The Polar Express finally reached the tracks and gave a huge jolt as its wheels connected with the track and it decelerated significantly. For one, heart-stopping, terrifying moment, no one knew whether it would make it up in time. Then with one mighty lurch, the Polar Express clambered up the tracks, gaining speed as it surged forward and climbed uphill, each car's wheels connecting back with the tracks as the train left the ice. Jack and Elsa finally relaxed, loosening their holds over the ice.

"Hahhah! Yes!" Cheered Jack.

"We did it!" Cried Elsa, hugging Jack.

"Now that's more like it." Said the Conductor fixing his hat. He looked at Jack and Elsa, smiling. "Now, follow me. I'll take you back to your car. We'll be arriving at the North Pole shortly."

* * *

><p>AN2: If anyone is wondering why Jack hesitated to use his powers earlier to help out on the ice, that will be explained either next chapter or the one after that. Also, if anyone is confused about what happened out on the frozen lake, Jack's powers reacted to his fears, traveling down through the locomotive and causing ice on the lake to try to slow the train by freezing against the wheels. The final large chunk of ice was his powers reacting more strongly to finally stop the Polar Express. This all happened unconsciously, without Jack being aware of it. Also, because of this the Polar Express ended up sideways this time around, rather than completely backwards like in the movie. Another thing, for anyone who doesn't understand negative G dive, that's when the train (or any other vehicle, plummets down with enough speed to cause the occupants to experience momentary weightlessness, sending them airborne.  
>Finally, the rest of the story know will be entirely character-plot driven, with the older five having to face themselves (no, not each other, them<em><span>selves<span>_).

**BEASBeth**: But you _**assumed**_ it was *wrong*. Oy! Very funny, heh.


	8. Arrival At The North Pole

A/N: Okay, okay, my timing got completely messed up. It was my own fault. On Sunday I was out in the cold and rain while visiting the USS Yorktown, Laffey and Clamagore, so I've been fighting off a fever. New schedule, ch. 9 on the 24th and ch. 10 still on the 25th. Everything is still more on less on schedule since ch. 10 is just the final wrap-up and epilogue. Also, I did some thinking on Gathering Darkness; while I _**can**_ make my original schedule of ch. 3 and 4 still this year, I don't think I should. Ch. 3 is done and 4 is nearly so; however, while I know you guys want speed, I think it would be a disservice and unfair to you guys to rush ch. 4 out an have the quality suffer. So I think I'll hold off ch. 3 for the 29th and post ch. 4 sometime after the New Year's. This will allow me to get ch. 4 as best as possible and the delay in posting ch. 3 will allow me to focus on my one-shot gift for all of you.  
>Now, I bid you all good night (or morning or afternoon, international readers); it's past 3:30 AM here.<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey

Chapter 8: Arrival At The North Pole

The Conductor led Jack and Elsa up the coal car and onto the roof of the first car. From there they descended into the first car which was actually devoid of passengers and darkened. Jack grabbed Elsa's wrist and held her up for a moment.  
>"Elsa, look, I… I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I don't know why I hesitated. It's just…"<p>

"It's okay. I know Jack." Elsa said soothingly. "I almost didn't either."

"But you did. Much sooner than me. You saved the Polar Express."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that when I needed you, you came through. We saved the Polar Express… together." Jack still looked extremely guilty and uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Elsa responded by hugging him.

"Come along now kids." The Conductor called. Elsa pulled away and offered Jack a reassuring smile that made his stomach burn with guilt. The trio made their way deeper through the car and began to notice several toys all strung up in varying states of disuse.

"Mind your step, now. These poor toys have suffered enough being left to rust and decay in the back alleys and vacant lots of the world." The Conductor cautioned.

"What are they doing here?" Elsa asked.

"It's a concept the boss came up with. Instead of being thrown away, they're collected. Refurbished. He calls it 'rebicycling'."

"You mean recycling?" Jack asked.

"Something like that."

"Makes me wanna cry seeing toys that were treated this way." Elsa said as she looked at the toys. It was heartbreaking to know that kids treated their toys like this, when there were countless children the world over without any toys at all, her own sister. And, though Elsa would never mention it, she herself never had much, even when their parents were alive and didn't have two daughters to raise.

"These hopelessly entangled string puppets and marionettes pose a particular problem. We found the nimble fingers of our work force here at the North Pole are best for working out those knots and tangles." Jack wasn't really listening anymore to the Conductor. He was too lost in thought as he looked at the toys, unconsciously walking slower and falling behind as he did so. He didn't know what it was about the toys, maybe their depressing state of disrepair, how beaten and broken they were. Lifeless, abandoned, forgotten. It reminded him too much of the life he and his sister had to endure. It was all his fault, he knew. Everything, their whole situation was _his_ fault. Jack gasped as a puppet boy with a really long nose jumped up in front of him. He had been so lost in thought, he was startled into jumping backwards.

"I know what you are, Jack Frost!" The puppet, apparently Pinocchio, practically yelled at him. "Not only are you a doubter, a nonbeliever, but you are a bad boy! Naughty, naughty Jack Frost. You're just like me Jack, a naughty liar!"

"No…"

"You're a liar Jack, of the worst kind."

"No!" Jack yelled, barreling past the puppet. Had he looked up as he ran, he would have seen a certain puppeteer in a dirty, raggedy brown jacket, with red fingerless gloves and a brown flat cap. Jack threw open the car door and bolted through into the other car. He ran through all cars, all the way to the last car, before slamming the door closed behind him and leaning against it. Jack was panting hard, completely out of breath.

"Jack, are you okay?" Jack started at Elsa's voice, then settled a bit. Everyone was staring at him in alarm. The Conductor was long gone now.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He said, a little faster than he meant to.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm okay."

The rest of the trip went by smoothly, with the Polar Express winding its way up a tall mountain, but Jack was deathly quiet, keeping himself completely isolated. Elsa kept looking at him concerned, but she had no idea how to get him to open up.  
>Soon the train made its way into Christmas Town and came to a halt. Gradually, the passengers began to disembark.<p>

"All right. All right, ladies and gentlemen. Two columns, if you please." The Conductor was directing. "Shorter in the front, taller in the rear. Even-numbered birthdays on the right, odd-numbered on the left. No pushing. No pushing. But let's not dilly-dally. It's five minutes to midnight."

"Still?" Hiccup muttered, mostly to himself.

"Hey. Where's Rapunzel?" Anna suddenly asked.

"Yeah, where did she go?" Asked Carolyn, realizing the blonde was missing.

"Was she even here?" Added Merida.

"I didn't see her get off the Polar Express." Elsa replied.

"We have to get her." Said Hiccup. "She'll miss everything." With all nodding in agreement, the five plus Jack sneaked out of the crowd and back into their car on the Polar Express. What they saw shocked them. Rapunzel was sitting in the dark, her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes staring vacantly at the floor.

"Rapunzel? Are you okay?" Elsa asked. She was very nervous. Out of everybody, Rapunzel was the last person she'd ever expect to be like this.

"No, not really. I'm scared. This trip is almost done and then I'll have to go home and get married!"

"Look Rapunzel," Jack began. "I think I've gotten to know you a bit during the journey, and by what I saw, this Flynn guy is really lucky to have you." Everyone looked at Jack in surprise. They had all noticed how quiet he had gotten recently, and no one was expecting that he would be the one to give Rapunzel advice. Elsa smiled.

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked. "I have to be the perfect wife!"

"No you don't. You can take a stand for yourself. Maybe you can't stop the marriage, but that doesn't mean you should just bow down and become submissive. You're strong and, well, just plain awesome. You brought us all together. You're a great friend and an amazing person."

"Look, I don't know if your marriage is gonna work out for you or not but this is Christmas Eve." Said Hiccup. "Don't stay here by yourself."

"Yes, come with us." Said Anna.

"We'll go together." Added Carolyn. Merida held out a hand, which Rapunzel took and the redhead helped her up.

"Thank you, everyone." Said Rapunzel, tears in her eyes. As everyone gathered around her, Elsa kissed Jack on the cheek.

"That was an incredibly thoughtful and very kind thing you did for her." Jack smiled, but it was a sad smile which confused Elsa.

Just as they were about to hop off the car, Jack saw movement right outside the windows.

"Everyone duck!" He hissed. The six kids ducked down behind the windows as the Conductor, Steamer and Smokey walked past, talking amongst themselves.

"I can't believe this is the last Christmas!" Jack heard Smokey say.

"What?!" Jack whispered to himself.

"What about all the kids?" They heard Steamer add.

"Can't be helped." The Conductor replied somberly. "Santa is losing his powers. With no one worthy to take over, Christmas is done for."

"Did you hear that?!" Asked Elsa.

"No more Christmas?!" Asked Merida.

"No!" Cried Anna and Carolyn.

"This is horrible!" Added Rapunzel.

"But you heard them, there's nothing that can be done." Said Hiccup.

"Come on." Said Jack; standing when he was certain they were gone. "We have to get out of here!" Before anyone could even move however, their car jerked and started rolling backwards.

"What the-?!" Cried Merida, holding on to a bench to keep from falling to the floor.

"They're decoupling the cars!" Cried Hiccup. "We have to get off!"

"Too late!" Said Jack as their car began to roll downhill. "Everyone, hold on!"

The car rushed downhill while everyone held on for dear life, buildings and decorations streaking past the car's windows. After what seemed like an eternity, the car finally slowed, coming to a rest atop a large round turntable. Slowly, the seven friends got up and looked around. Seeing that the coast was clear, they hopped off the car and took in their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Asked Elsa.

"This must be the roundhouse." Hiccup replied.

"How do we get back?" Asked Carolyn. "We can't just go walking the streets hoping we find them?"

"She's right." Said Elsa. "We went in a straight line, but the passengers have probably since moved on." Hiccup was about to reply when Jack cut him off.

"Wait do you hear that?" He asked.

"Hear what?" Asked Merida.

"Bells."

"Sleigh bells?" Asked Anna.

"It's coming from this tunnel." Said Jack as he ran off.

"Jack, wait!"

"Come on, let's go!" Said Carolyn following after.

"Jack slow down!" Said Elsa, trying her hardest to keep up. It was thus that she almost ran into Jack when he stopped suddenly. Elsa didn't know how far they had gone from the car, but they were now in an old, seemingly abandoned area with old wooden planks covering the floor.

"I can't hear it anymore." Said Jack. The others ran into the tunnel right behind them.

"So what's up?" Asked Rapunzel.

"Jack says he can't hear the bells anymore." Said Elsa.

"Great. And now we're lost." Hiccup mumbled sarcastically.

"We're not lost." Said Merida. "We're-" She was cut up by the loud sound of breaking wood.

"Aaahh!" They heard Anna scream. They all turned around see se a lot of dust over a hole in the ground, but no Anna.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled running to the hole, the others hot on her heels. They dropped to their knees and peered down the dark hole. A few feet below, just visible by the light from the tunnel above, the saw a well built young man was holding Anna in his arms. The man was clad in dark gray furs and hat, sandy blonde hair peeking out from under the hat. Anna appeared fine; apparently the man had caught her. She looked into his amber eyes and blanched.

"That was some fall. I'm glad I caught you." Said the man. Anna remained in stunned silence. "I'm Kristoff Bjorgman, the Reindeer Keeper.

"I'm Annadelle." Said Anna, finally finding her voice. She realized what she said and quickly amended. "I mean, Anna Arendelle!" Kristoff chuckled causing Anna to blush. He set her down and she brushed herself off of dust and wood splinters. Meanwhile, Kristoff glanced up at the others.

"You're all from the Polar Express, aren't you?" He asked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We got separated from the others when our car got detached." Elsa replied. They heard Kristoff sigh. "I know a shortcut. You guys can climb down here and I'll take you. But I must warn you, if- if things are… off, you'll be in for a real challenge."

"Off?" Jack asked, remembering his run-in with Pinocchio.

"You'll see."

"We have to take the risk." Said Merida. The others, save Jack nodded. One by one, they carefully climbed down the hole, helping each other, and being helped by Kristoff and Anna.

"Step lively now." Said Kristoff, leading the way down a dark tunnel. "Watch your steps."

* * *

><p>AN2: Another short chapter (but not too short), but that's because I moved a lot of stuff to ch. 9 (this is like _**half**_ of the original chapter). Hopefully, it'll all be worth the wait.  
>So, can anyone figure out Jack's problems? I gave a lot of hints, though I don't think it's obvious just yet.<p>

No reviews this time and recently, not many either:(


	9. The Final Challenge

A/N: Here's the penultimate chapter of the Journey. And it's also by far the longest yet! It's a tiny bit late (missed the date change by just a few minutes!), but I had to perfect a lot. Final chapter later tomorrow/today (Christmas).

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.  
>Hope everyone enjoys<p>

The Journey

Chapter 9: The Final Challenge

Kristoff lead the group down a long, dim tunnel. If they had thought the first tunnel had been dark, this one blew it out of the water. They could barely see more than a foot in front of their own faces! At least the tunnel was straight and didn't wind. Everyone was silent, keeping to themselves. Only Anna was having an 'enjoyable' time, walking almost beside Kristoff, she kept stealing glances at him. Occasionally, Kristoff would feel her gaze, turning his head and causing Anna to immediately look away. However, the first person to talk to Kristoff was actually Carolyn. Walking past the others, she strolled up to Kristoff and tugged on his sleeve.  
>"Excuse me, Mr. Kristoff?" She asked. When Kristoff glanced down at her, the little girl continued on "We heard that the is to bee the last Christmas. Is this true?" Kristoff sighed heavily and sadly. I was supposed to be a secret. He had no idea how they'd found out, but now that they did, what would be the point of lying. He knew they wouldn't be fooled. Not about something like this.<p>

"Yeah, it's true." He admitted.

"But why?! Santa can't end Christmas, he just can't!" Rapunzel protested.

"No choice." Said Kristoff. "There's no stopping it."

"But, why?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know if I should tell you this, but since you guys already got some of the critical parts of the information… long ago there was a dark, evil force, a monstrosity that would attack and brutalize children, leaving them traumatized and suffering eternal nightmares. Santa was able to defeat that monster and destroy it for good, but he used up nearly all of his powers to make sure it never returned. The monster is gone for good, but it would be only a matter of time before Santa lost his powers forever."

"But isn't there anyway to restore his powers?" Asked Hiccup. Kristoff shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Usually his powers are limitless, but he expanded nearly everything to destroy the nightmare monstrosity. His powers can no longer regenerate. Physically, Santa will be fine, but he will be forced to retire and Christmas will be over forever."

"That's terrible!" Said Merida.

"We all know. Believe me." Said Kristoff.

The group arrived at a lit open room with various retro looking controls and monitors. In The room were three elves, two male and a female, clad in almost all red, with red Santa hats, green stockings and shoes that curled up at the front with the tips ending in bells.

"Kristoff! You brought children down here?!" Said one of the elves.

"They fell in here. They got separated from the Polar Express group. I'm guiding them through to get to the square in time for Christmas."

"You know they can't go through these tunnels." Said another elf.

"I heard bells!" Jack blurted. "They led us here." The elves and Kristoff went wide eyed, but the elves quickly recovered, hiding their initial shock well.

"He heard bells." Said Kristoff, as if that completely justified his choice to take them through the tunnels..

"Kristoff, you know there are no bells down here." Said a female elf.

"But Jack heard them."

"Kristoff…" The second elf began.

"We have no choice!" Kristoff countered. "I believe they can make it." The first elf sighed.

"Very well." He relented. "Children, you must know that you must face yourselves if you carry any trouble with you."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked nervously.

"This tunnel was designed to make people face the issuess within themselves." Said the female elf, indicating a tunnel opposite the one they had entered through. "It's a test, not of character, but of being able to overcome your personal troubles."

"All issues must be resolved. You must face yourselves." Said the second elf.

"That's, umm…" Said Anna.

"Do we have a choice?" Asked Elsa.

"If you do not wish to miss Santa, then unfortunately no." Kritoff answered.

"We shall accompany you, but we cannot interfere." Said the female elf.

"Well, the sooner we go, the sooner we can get there." Said Hiccup. The other reluctantly nodded and followed Kristoff and the elves down the far tunnel.

The new tunnel was about as well lit as the room that they had met the elves in, allowing them to see where they were going with ease. The tunnel was pretty wide, enough for three people to walk side-by-side without brushing into each other. The floor and walls were made of stone, but they were not as bare and lifeless as one would expect from a long tunnel. Instead, there were countless carved images of wintery scenes and Christmas and Christmas-like celebrations from all over the world. Among all the depictions of snow, wind and presents were numerous depictions of Santa from various different countries. The group had walked for several hundred feet with no troubles yet. Though that would not last long.  
>They suddenly heard Rapunzel gasp and she stopped walking, a look of shock on her face.<p>

"No! Eugene, what are you doing here?!"

"Rapunzel, what-?"!" Merida asked in confusion. Neither the other seven humans, nor the elves could see anything, but Kristoff and the elves all had knowing looks on their faces.

"Oh Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel." Said 'Eugene', his voice heard only by her. "Naïve little child. When will you grow up? You must be the perfect little wife, you know."

"No!" Rapunzel cried. 'Eugene' appearance rippled, and standing in his place, was Rapunzel's own mother.

"Rapunzel, you know for the sake of peace in our kingdoms, you must submit to Eugene. You must be the perfect wife. I know you don't want to, but you will serve him. Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think. Right now, you are just too strong willed and arrogant, but I know you will learn your place."

"No! I can't! I don't want to!" Rapunzel begged, her eyes beginning to water. "Please don't make me!"

"What can we do?" Carolyn asked nervously, seeing her friend almost breaking down to thin air.

"There's nothing you can do." Said an elf. "She must face herself."

"Rapunzel, whatever you're seeing, it's not real!" Anna tried to advise.

"That doesn't matter." Kristoff said grimly. "It's real to her."

"What is this place?!" Elsa asked in horror.

"There's nothing here." Kristoff replied. "There's literally nothing here. Everything you see is within yourself. If there's something hanging around your consciousness, if there's something weighing you down, it brings it out. The challenge is to face what ails you and triumph over it. 'All issues must be resolved. You must face yourselves'."

To Rapunzel, her 'mother's' appearance changed, becoming her father.

"Rapunzel, darling, don't fight it. It's what's best. You'll learn to like it." By know the tears were flowing freely down the blonde girl's face. The figure once more changed, becoming 'Eugene' again.

"Rapunzel's strength is her free spirit." Jack muttered to himself. "It's breaking her spirit!"

"Rapunzel! The answer is you must stand up for yourself!" Jack yelled, shocking everyone. "A relationship is about compromises on both sides. Yes, you will have to change a bit, but so will he. Don't change who you are, just what you don't like; what you think is bad. Keep your fun, happy self. That is who you are an that can never die or be suppressed and Eugene will realize that!" Even the elves couldn't believe Jack's advice. Not many people could read someone that well… Jack continued, "You will change the bad to better yourself and Eugene will have to change the bad in him to accommodate you. Like I said, a relationship is about compromise. It is made up of two people making one another better! You'll be the perfect wife, Rapunzel. Not as a servant or as a dictator, but as an equal. A partner."

"You- you're right Jack. You're right." Said Rapunzel, pulling her hands from her face. She had to confront her despair. She turned to 'Eugene', addressing him. "I will not serve you! I will be my own self and you will accept me for who I am! I will change the bad but so will you! We will have an equal marriage or you will deal with my unbreakable spirit!" To her surprise, 'Eugene' smirked and faded away. She turned questioningly to Kristoff.

"Did I do it?"

"I would appear you have passed you're test."

"Yeah, all right Rapunzel!" The others cheered, running to her.

"Hurry, we mustn't dawdle." Said an elf. "Christmas will start at any moment!"

"I wonder who will be challenged next?" Said Hiccup after a few minutes. He got his answer when he collided with something large, falling to his but. He looked up and went pale.

"Dad?!" Before him was a larger man with long wild reddish-brown beard and mustache and thick eyebrows.

"Hiccup! What do you think you're doing?!" Said 'Stoick'. "Us not fighting dragons?! That's absurd! And hanging out with a Scottish girl? You shame me Hiccup and you shame the clan."

"Dad…"

"You disappoint me son."

"Look at Hiccup!" Said Anna. The group had stopped when they heard him and looked around.

"Look! Merida too!" Elsa pointed out. Just beyond Hiccup, Merida was glaring down someone only she could see.

"Two at the same time?" Asked Carolyn.

Merida looked past her 'mother' at Hiccup. While the woman was berating her, she had to defend him first. Ignoring her 'mother' she called out to him.

"Hiccup! Didn't you say you thought you could coexist with dragons? Prove it! Protect your special friend!" Hiccup paused, realizing she had a point.

"She has a point!" Hiccup said defiantly, straightening himself up. "Do you know how that was?! That was my girlfriend! Yeah that's right! A Scots girl!" 'Stoick' cringed at that, then straightened menacingly above Hiccup, glaring at him. But Hiccup was on a roll and would not back down now. "And…and you know what dad?! I'm friends with a dragon! Hah! There it's out, my best friend is a dragon named Toothless!" An with that, 'Stoick' was gone.

Hiccup turned to Merida and saw her glaring angrily at something. He didn't understand why Merida of all people would have trouble confronting anything, but clearly she was. And that's when he saw it: despite Merida's angry glare, he saw fear and nervousness in her eyes.

"I don't want to marry a suitor mot'er! I don' wanna be a 'propa laydee'! I want to ride and climb! I want to practice archery! I want to run free and be me! I want to be my own woman!"

"Merida! Listen!" Said Hiccup. "You have several valid points, but she's your mother, and you should listen to her!"

"I won't jus' be who she wants me to be!"

"No, of course not! But you shouldn't just ignore her. She has experience and just wants what she thinks is best for you. You both need to listen to each other. You may not agree with her or like what she says, or even intend to go along with it, but you should listen. Listen to each other and then you make the best decision based on what you both know." Merida lowered the umbrella.

"You're right Hiccup." She sighed. "I'm sorry mum. I love you." 'Elinor' smiled, vanishing much like 'Eugene' and 'Stoick'.

Once the two joined back up with the others, they began to talk about what they had experienced.

"I don't get it." Said Merida. "I understand mah challenge, but I di'n't figure it out. Hiccup did."  
>"But you listened." Hiccup explained. "Anybody can talk, but it takes a great person to know when to stop talking and when to start listening. And you are a great person Merida."<p>

"That only leaves four of us." Said Elsa.

"Actually, I think Anna and Carolyn are both young enough to not have too many issues." Said Kristoff.

"Than that just leaves Jack and Elsa." Said Anna.

The group continued walking on unhindered for several minutes.  
>"Be careful; we don't know what the next challenges will be." Kristoff warned. They passed through a large candy cane arch and arrived in a gigantic, well-lit room. In the center was something that instantly caught their eyes.<p>

"Presents?" Jack asked confused.

"Wait, what?" Said Kristoff. Before them was indeed a giant pit filled to the brim with presents. Neatly wrapped, multicolored presents of countless different sizes. "We're at the end?" The room of presents was their final destination, where they could head to the square from. However, neither Jack nor Elsa had gotten challenged.

"Something's not right here." Elsa whispered. Behind her, several presents began to collect and rise, unnoticed by anyone until…

"Aaaah!" Anna screamed as she was snatched away by a giant claw of baseball bats, pirate swords and extra-large candy canes.

"Anna!" Cried Elsa and Kristoff at the same time.

"Elsa! Help me!" Anna begged as she was shipped skyward, out of the reaches of the others.

"Anna, no!"

"Aaaah!" The thing that took her landed at a distance and roared menacingly, show giant wings of wrapping paper, tinsel, children umbrellas and tent covers. Before all was an enormous dragon, literally made out of presents and gifts

"It's a dragon!" Yelled Hiccup, his eyes going as wide as saucers.

"It's a dragon made of presents!" Said Carolyn.

"You said Anna and Carolyn wouldn't be challenged!" Elsa snapped at Kristoff.

"I-I don't know!" He said, panicked. "Maybe it's your challenge!"

"If it's hers, how can we all see it?!" Cried Rapunzel.

"I… I- I don't know! I don't get it. There must be something really wrong here! Elsa consciousness might be really messed up."

"We don't even know for sure it's meant for her." Said Jack. "It might be meant for me and Anna was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It's a possibility!" Kristoff admitted.

"We have to save Anna!" Cried Elsa.

"Everyone spread out!" Ordered Hiccup. "Let's try to get its attention!" He ran forward, scooping up one of the few presents that hadn't become part of the dragon and tossed it with all his might. It smacked the present-dragon right in the face, causing it to turn and roar angrily. "Hey ugly!" The dragon roared and charged him, while still clutching the screaming Anna. Hiccup broke into a sprint, just barely staying ahead of the snapping jaws with its teeth of giant candy-corn. All of a sudden, another present hit the dragon in the face again.

"This way you stupid lizard!" Cried Merida. She ran off with the dragon hot on her heels. She ran a circuit of the room and as she came back around, Rapunzel ran out, between the dragons legs and slapped its stomach.

"Over here!" She said. However, she was too close to get to safety. The dragon almost scooped her up in its jaws when Hiccup pushed her out of its way.

"Come on and eat me if you can!" Hiccup yelled. The dragon swung it's head, smacking it against Hiccup and sending him flying.

"Hiccup!" Merida screamed.

"I need a weapon!" Hiccup shouted, rising to his feet. Merida looked around and noticed a hooked handle sticking up among the presents and rush towards it. She dove, rolling, and scooped it up, tossing it to Hiccup.

"Catch!" She yelled. Hiccup leapt back from the present dragon and caught the handle. "He looked at it and did a double-take.

"Seriously?!" He cried. "A Candy Cane?!"

"Best we got!" Yelled Merida.

"Come on Jack!" Cried Carolyn, turning to her brother. "We have to help!"

"I…" Jack began, but it was no use. He was completely frozen.

Hiccup ran in, 'slashing' and jabbing at the dragon, infuriating it. As Anna continued to scream, Elsa lost it.

"Let my sister go!" She yelled, sending a blast of ice at the dragon. It struck the dragon in the chest, making it roar angrily. Elsa followed up, blasting it repeatedly in the face, while simultaneously freezing its paws. It couldn't fly all that much because the room, while gigantic, wasn't big enough to properly accommodate its size and now, you could no longer rush after them.

"Elsa?!" Said Merida.

"You got ice powers?!" Asked Rapunzel.

"Yes!" Said Elsa, sending another blast of ice at the beast. The ice sliced off it tail, sending Anna plummeting.

"Anna!" Yelled Kristoff, running forward. He dove, catching Anna in his arms and landed sliding slightly on his knees.

"Thank you Kristoff." Said Anna.

"Anytime." He replied causing the redhead to blush.

"Now Elsa!" Yelled Rapuzel. Elsa let rip an enormous blast of icy wind, which instantly froze, encasing the dragon in a solid block of ice.

"That was my challenge." Elsa said, breathing hard. "To be myself without hiding and without fear. I'm only sorry it took Anna being in danger."

"I'm glad that's over." Said Merida.

"Me too!" Anna agreed, hugging Elsa. The others nodded. As the friends took a moment to catch their breaths, a loud cracking and shattering sound filled the room, which sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"Raaaaawwwwaaaaaarrrrrrr!" The dragon bellowed loud enough to shake the walls.

"It's still alive?!" Rapunzel yelled.

"The Final Challenge!" Cried the elves.

"All issues must be resolved. All inner turmoil and conflict corrected." Jack muttered.

"It's your turn, Jack!" Yelled Kristoff.

"Jack has ice powers too!" Elsa yelled, hopping to spare him and their friends from a repeat of a few minutes ago. "Come on Jack, you have to open up and admit it!"

"What?!" All the others yelled.

"Since when?!" Asked Hiccup.

"It's not that." Said Jack, ignoring him. "I know what it wants. It's me! I'm the problem."

"What?!" The others repeated, with even more surprise if that were at all possible. Jack didn't reply, instead turning his back to the attacking dragon as it lunged towards them, towards him, and taking a knee in front of Carolyn to bring himself to her height.

"Carolyn, I lied to you." He said, looking her straight in the eyes. Almost unnoticed by anyone, the dragon seemed to collide with an invisible force field that flared up on impact. It instead resolved to wait, head low, mouth gapping showing all its teeth, right behind Jack.

"Wh-what?" Carolyn asked, her voice trembling with nervousness. "What do you mean Jack? What are you talking about?" Jack swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. There was no gathering his courage. He had to leap now or lose everything he held precious.

"I lied to you about the orphanage. They weren't going to separate us by sending us to different orphanages. A family wanted to adopt you." He continued. "I… I got greedy and selfish. I didn't want to lose you, I didn't want to be separated, so I lied to you about it so you'd run away with me." Tears began to streak down Jack's face as he spoke. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Carolyn! I robbed you of a chance of having what you always wanted. I robbed you of a family!" Nobody talked. There wasn't a sound or movement; they hardly even breathed, the dragon all but completely forgotten. Then, to everyone's surprise, Carolyn rushed forward and threw her arms around Jack, tears flowing freely down her face too.

"You are my family Jack! I wouldn't go anywhere without you and there's nothing anyone could do to tear me away from you. I'd only go if you'd go. You're my brother Jack. My only real family and I love you big brother!"

"Please forgive me…" Jack whispered, his body shaking with silent sobs.

"There's nothing to forgive." Carolyn told him earnestly. "Even if I had known, I would've wanted it this way. I love you Jack."

"And I love you Carolyn." Said Jack, finally hugging her back. And with that, the dragon lay down onto the floor, coming undone and collapsing back into a huge pile of gifts.

"The final challenge has been passed." Said the lead elf. "The last mistake corrected."

* * *

><p>AN2: Originally, all challenges up until the dragon were supposed to be last chapter, but I changed it as I didn't want to separate everyone's challenge from Jack and Elsa's. Though Jack and Elsa are the main part of the story's focus, I didn't want the others to seem less important. Thus, while Jack and Elsa's challenge was the final one in order, all challenges were technically part of the very last challenge faced in the _journey_ as a whole. And now, you all know what was wrong with Jack. How many of you figured it was something like this? I didn't want to make him an OOC jerk, but I figured this could be believable to the Jack we all know. The reason why Anna and Carolyn weren't challenged was due both to their personalities, never allowing themselves to be down or really upset, and also due to how their young age still preserves much of their belief in Santa, magic and just generally seeing goodness in their lives, despite all their hardships.  
>I may edit and clean this up a bit sometime when I have more time.<br>Hope everyone enjoyed, the story.  
>See you all at the final chapter.<p>

**BEASBeth**: Chapter 7 - True, but their minds was elsewhere, like if they were going to derail and if they'd survive. Actually, I consider showing both their reactions during and after the frozen lake scene but I ultimately removed those as the cut would just be too awkward and the transition would be clumsy for little gain in the actual story.  
>Chapter 8 - Yeah. I changed the puppet to make for a proper fit and foreshadowing. The Hero Boy got Scrooge for his disbelief and Jack got Pinocchio for his lie. So did you see this coming?<p> 


	10. Christmas

A/N: As promised, here's the final chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed this story. I meant to have tis out by late afternoon or early evening as this was to be a free day, but surprise, surprise, one of our family friends succeeded in convincing my parents to cut our vacation a day short:( So, I spent most of the day on the road.  
>This story will end in a small epilogue done in the style of Jack's voiceover.<br>Oh, something that I've been wanting to tell but kept forgetting, I have commenced work (actually I stared late February but stopped to concentrate on current and school works) on my next Jelsa story which will come out Summer 2015. It will replace Through The Storm which will be completed in the Spring. In Spring I'll wrap up Through The Storm and continue with Gathering Darkness; I have yet to decide if I'll make any new stories in the interim. I won't spoil anything, but it will be more or less family friendly, with romance (duh, it IS Jelsa), plenty of adventure some humor (not a comedy, but there will be some) and it will use a common plot concept (well it is now, but wasn't when I started writing), but with a twist that I think people will like (no, it's not a school AU). Expect it around early July.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are owned by Disney and DreamWorks. I'm writing this purely for entertainment purposes.

The Journey

Chapter 10: Christmas

The elves guide the kids and Kristoff to an enormous balloon which took them and all the gifts to the square where there were placed upon a waiting red sleigh with a teem of eight magnificent reindeers. As the presents, now in side a giant red sack, were loaded onto the back of the sleigh, the group of friends slid down an inflatable slide from the balloon to the ground. Kristoff quickly vanished into the crowd of elves and children, vowing to be back. Soon, the crowd came alive as everyone began to talk and point.  
>"I can't see!" Said Carolyn, as she was much shorter, being younger than the others. Jack scooped her up and lifted her up on his shoulders.<p>

"How's that?" He asked.

"Much better!" Carolyn grinned.

"Look, it's Kristoff!" Said Anna, pointing out Kristoff who was walking beside a reindeer decorated in Christmas lights and tinsel and with a Christmas wreath around its neck. Kristoff led the reindeer over to Jack and the others.

"Meet my buddy, Sven." He introduced. "He's not part of Santa's team, but he is a ceremonial reindeer." The reindeer's tongue was hanging out and its tail was wagging happily. It was just like a dog!

"He's really neat Kristoff!" Said Anna.

"Here. You can see much better on Sven's back." Said Kristoff. He helped Anna up so she was sitting on Sven's back like a horse rider. As they all tried to see what was going on, Carolyn abruptly remembered something.

"Hey Jack, I just realized something. Those bells you heard weren't just regular old bells. They were sleigh bells from Santa's reindeer!"

"But, how could it be? I heard them that far away?" He asked her.

"It's because you were starting to believe and they were guiding us on the right path." Jack thought about her words for a moment be fore replying.

"Maybe, I do believe now." The entire square fell silent and it took a moment for Jack to realize that.

"What was that you said?" A kind, gentle voice asked from behind him. Slowly, Jack, Elsa, Kristof and Sven turned around. The friends' eyes went wide, though Kristoff and Sven just looked happy.. Before them stood a tall, fat man in a fuzzy red suit with a red hat and black boots. The suit and hat were trimmed with white fur that matched the man's long beard.

"I- I said, I believe now." Jack stuttered.

"Indeed you do, Jack." Santa replied with a smile.

"Santa knows your name!" Carolyn gasped in surprise. The jolly old man turned to look at her kindly.

"And you must be Carolyn Frost." Carolyn beamed happily.

"Yes sir!"

"That's a pretty name you have, Carolyn. Carol. Like a Christmas Carol." This caused the young girl's smile to become even wider.

Santa regarded Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel along with Jack, Elsa, Anna and Carolyn.

"I see here before me confidence and spirit. Christmas spirit. And an unbreakable friendship. There's no greater gift than friendship." The friends looked at one another, beaming. Santa turned to address the entire crowded square. "And speaking of gifts… now, for the first gift of Christmas." All the kids raised their hands, waving the in the air and begging for themselves to be picked. Santa turned to Jack instead. "Jack?"

"Actually sir, I think my sister should go first." Carolyn looked at her brother with immense gratitude then leaned towards Santa's ear as he crouched down to her and whispered her wish to him.

"Oh? Yes, well, yes, an excellent idea! I quite agree!" Said Santa. "So it will come to pass!"

"What did you wish for?" Jack asked. Carolyn looked at him and Elsa and grinned broadly.

"I asked for our little family to get bigger." Elsa blushed deeply while Jack laughed and placed an arm around the platinum blonde's shoulders. While they talked, Santa had explained the situation about his powers to everyone, leaving the children in stunned silence. Now he turned back to Jack.

"Jackson Frost… Faithful, friendly Jack Frost, would you be the next Santa Claus?" The whole square became even quieter. Jack looked around as if expecting to find someone else named Jack Frost behind him.

"Me?" Santa nodded. "But- but I'm the worst choice! I lied to my little sister! I hurt her, I betrayed her trust, I was… well, very naughty." Ash he spoke, Carolyn was vehemently shaking her head.

"But you set things right. And you did it to preserve your family." Santa explained. "You did it out of love for your sister. The two greatest gifts of Christmas are giving and family." Jack stared, mouth slightly agape. "So, do you accept, Jack Frost?"

"Say yes!" Carolyn hissed.

"Go for it!" Rapunzel added in a hushed voice. Jack looked at Elsa who smiled and nodded.

"Yes sir." Jack answered. "I accept." The square burst into booming cheers and thunderous applause. Santa shouted over the din.

"We have a new Santa! Christmas is saved!" And the cheering got impossibly louder.

"Excuse me, Santa?" Carolyn asked, a grin on her face. "Will Jack have to get a long beard?" Santa chuckled at that.

"No, no. No beard or belly." Santa chuckled. "That's my thing. Jack will be free to make his own appearance. He just has to keep the red coat and flying sleigh pulled by reindeer." As Jack took in what had just occurred, a thought struck him. He'd need a Mrs. Frost to help him and be by his side, and there was only one girl in the while world that could ever fill that role. The one he had befriended and fallen in love with.

"Elsa, would… would you and Anna like to stay here in the North Pole…with Carolyn and I?" Elsa's eyes lit up at his offer. She knew she liked Jack, but it was at this moment that she truly realized she had fallen in love with him during their time together on the Polar Express.

"I'd like nothing more, Jack." Anna gasped gleefully at Elsa's response and gave Kristoff a huge hug causing the Reindeer Keeper to blush bright red.

There were plenty of joy and festivities in the North Pole celebrating both Christmas, which was now saved, and the new Santa. The old Santa took off to deliver the presents one final time amid much fanfare and happiness. Now there was music paying, elves dancing and children laughing and socializing.  
>Almost too soon however, it was time for the Polar Express to head off, taking the children back to their homes. The Conductor guided the children to form a line to board the train. Jack, Elsa, Anna, Carolyn, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel stood away from the others. Kristoff had left to tend to Sven.<p>

"I'm really going to miss you guys!" Said Rapunzel, crying freely.

"Take care of yourselves" Added Merida.

"And don't forget us come Christmas, Santa Frost." Joked Hiccup.  
>The seven friends hugged each other before the departing trio went to join the Polar Express line.<p>

"Show your tickets. Have your tickets ready." The Conductor was saying as he took the ticket of the kids in line and punched more holes into them, before handing the ticket back so the kids could board. "Remember to eat the five basic food groups. Ticket, please. And please brush after every meal. Remember to duck and cover." He turned to Hiccup. "All right, you. Ticket, please." Hiccup handed him his ticket and the conductor rapidly and expertly got to work on it. When he handed it back to Hiccup, the boy saw four new letters had been added to the 'F'. The ticket now read FAITH.

"Always have faith in yourself young man."

"I will." Said Hiccup. With a final wave to Jack, Elsa, Anna and Carolyn, he boarded the Polar Express.

"Ticket." Next was Merida. By the time the Conductor was done with her ticket, it read COURAGE.

"It takes courage to accept the ideas and opinions of others."

"Thank you." She said, before waving to her friends and climbing aboard too. Finally it was Rapunzel's turn and she got LAUGH.

"Remember, laughter heals all."

"An excellent advice." Rapunzel agreed. She waved to her friends and followed Merida aboard. With all passengers on the Polar Express, the Conductor made his way over to Jack, Elsa, Anna and Carolyn.

"Ticket please."

"But we're not going." Said Jack, confused.

"Well, aren't you curious to what you got?" The four looked at one another and fished out their ticket. Anna went first. When she got it back, it read ENCOURAGE.

"Always encourage your sister and others to have fun."

"I will!" Anna promised. Elsa was next. The word the Conductor punched into her ticket was TRUST.

"Trust your friends, Elsa. They love you."

"Yes sir." Carolyn came next getting the word IMAGINE.

"Never stop imagining Carolyn; never."

"I won't." Finally it was Jack's turn. The Conductor took his ticket and hid it behind his back as he furiously punched away at it, before handing it back to Jack. Jack took the ticket and looked at it, LIVE. Jack flipped it over and was surprised the message changed. LOVE.

"How…?"

"That's a very special ticket young man." Jack looked at Elsa and the two exchanged a smile.

"Yes sir, it is." The Conductor bowed his head, tipping his cap then climbed up onto the steps leading onto the Polar Express. As soon as he did, the train began to move.

"Farewell!" He called. "Until later!" Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel were all leaning out windows looking back at them and waving.

"Bye!" Said Elsa.

"Take care!" Called Jack.

"Be sure to visit!" Added Anna.

"Come back soon!" Said Carolyn. The four watched as the Polar Express departed.

(**Jack V.O.**)  
>Rapunzel returned to the Kingdom of Corona where she married, Eugene Fitzherbert. Eugene did indeed change for Rapunzel, giving up his 'certain ways' and she changed some of the things she didn't like about herself. They are now the rulers of Corona and their marriage is a happy one. Rapunzel does boss him around occasionally. Hiccup managed to convince not only his tribe, but also several others to befriend and train dragons, rather than fight them, bringing an end to the Viking-Dragon War. Merida returned to Castle Dunbroch where she helped unite the four families. They all get along fine now, with Dunbroch as the head. Despite Merida and Hiccup becoming friends during our time in the Polar Express, I was honestly still surprised to learn they married. We're all still friends, and we see each other from time to time. Elsa and I also got married and live here in the North Pole with Carolyn and Anna. We create winter, with Elsa handling the more intricate, prettier stuff, and I deliver the presents. Anna is dating Kristoff, the Reindeer Keeper and Carolyn helps us come up with new ideas for presents and decorations. As for the Polar Express, it still runs the globe each year around Christmas, bringing children from all over the world to the North Pole.<p>

_THE END_

* * *

><p>AN2: And now the story is complete. Be sure to check out my one-shot titled Waiting for Christmas, which is my gift to all of you. And now, I bid you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


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